Giant pandas Bao Yuan and De Rui have made their public debut on Thursday at the Urumqi Water Park Zoo in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, following a period of acclimatization since their arrival in the city on Feb 5.
During the trial operation of the zoo's Giant Panda Pavilion starting Thursday, each visitor is given a five-minute viewing window, with opening hours from 11 am to 7 pm daily. The time limit is intended to guarantee that the pandas adjust smoothly to their new environment while preserving their natural behaviors, and to allow more visitors to share the experience.
Online reservations and ticket sales began at noon on Tuesday. The zoo has advised visitors to refrain from loud talking, feeding the animals, using flash photography, or tapping on the glass and enclosures.
Both pandas are males from the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in Sichuan province. De Rui is five and a half years old, and Bao Yuan is four and a half.
Xie Qingyang, director of the breeding station at the Sichuan center's Wolong Shenshuping Base, accompanied the pandas to Urumqi and described them as outgoing, though with distinct personalities. "Bao Yuan is a bit timid but always curious. He will come closer to see what I'm doing and stare at me, letting out a soft bleat," Xie said. "De Rui, on the other hand, is more lively and a bit of a foodie."
He added that the panda's core diet—bamboo, bamboo leaves and shoots—is airlifted from Sichuan.
According to Ye Hailong, director of Urumqi's forestry and grassland bureau, the panda pavilion is equipped with temperature and humidity control facilities, intelligent sprinklers, underfloor heating and a fresh air system.
Urumqi previously sent staff members to the Sichuan center for caregiving training, and Xie has also been dispatched to Urumqi to assist local personnel in providing comprehensive care for the two giant pandas.
Zhang Zhijiang, a breeder at the Urumqi panda pavilion, said he and his colleagues spent three months training at the Wolong Shenshuping Base, where they learned about giant panda habits.
In addition to the giant pandas, the zoo is also home to animals such as giraffes, brown bears, red pandas and zebras.
