Wang Wang (born 31 October 2005) and Fu Ni (born 23 August 2006) are a pair of giant pandas who lived at the Adelaide Zoo from 2008 until 2024. Born at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Centre in China, the pair relocated to Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, South Australia, on 29 November 2009. Wang Wang and Fu Ni were on loan for ten years for $1 million annually as part of a giant panda breeding program, [1] [2] but have not bred after more than five unsuccessful attempts by the zoo. [3] Fu Ni has experienced many false pregnancies, which are difficult to distinguish from actual pregnancies. The loan has been described as an instance of "panda diplomacy" between Australia and China. [4] [5]
On 24 November 2019, the state government of South Australia signed a deal to extend the pandas' stay in Adelaide for five more years. [6] On 15 November 2024, Wang Wang and Funi returned to China following the expiration of their contract with Adelaide Zoo. Two new pandas, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, arrived at the zoo in December 2024 following a new deal between Australia and China. [7]
Fu Ni (Chinese :福妮) means "lucky girl" and Wang Wang (Chinese :网网) means "net net". According to Chinese ambassador Zhang Junsai, the name reflects their hopes that "the lucky girl will fall into the net of love" and have a baby. [8] Wang Wang was given his name whilst in China. In 2009, Mandarin speakers emailed an Adelaide television station arguing that the name was pronounced "wong wong"; this pronunciation is favoured by the Adelaide Chinese community. [9] [10]
Wang Wang was born on 31 October 2005, and Fu Ni was born on 23 August 2006, [11] at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Centre in China. [8] [12] President Hu Jintao first offered them to Australia at the 2007 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Sydney. [13] The 2008 Sichuan earthquake caused the destruction of the research centre and the death of Mao Mao, Wang Wang's mother, and the pandas were relocated to the Bifengxia Giant Panda Breeding Centre. [8] [14]
Wang Wang and Fu Ni arrived at Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, South Australia, on 29 November 2009, escorted by police in a climate-controlled semitrailer. [14] They first appeared on 13 December after Governor-General Quentin Bryce officially opened their enclosure. [15] [16] 175 families helped to plant bamboo for them. [17] Initially on loan for ten years as part of a global giant panda breeding program, [14] Wang Wang and Fu Ni are the only giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere. [8] A large amount of media attention was given to their arrival, [10] and the loan has been described as an instance of "panda diplomacy" between Australia and China. [4] [5]
On 12 January 2010, the pair were released from their glass enclosures into their exhibit after a period of quarantine, ordered by minister Penny Wong. [18] They also joined Earth Hour as "official ambassadors". [19]
Zoos SA borrowed $6.7 million to fund the pandas, while a lack of sponsors added to the debt. The state government invested $18.9 million for the new entrance and fence, and the zoo paid $8 million dollars for the new exhibit from sponsors, donors, and loans. After Wang Wang and Fu Ni's arrival, Adelaide Zoo's visitors grew 70% and membership to Zoos SA had grown 25%. [1] [20] However, after initial expectations that the pandas would contribute $600 million to the South Australian economy in the course of a decade, visitor numbers returned to the same levels before their arrival by 2010. [13]
In late 2011, they were introduced together for the first time after previously being separated by wire mesh for breeding. As when they first arrived they were in the same exhibit until Funi reach sexual maturity. [21]
When she begins her oestrus cycle, Fu Ni climbs her tree in the enclosure. She has experienced several pseudopregnancies, which are difficult to distinguish from actual pregnancies as her blood tests, chemical signals, and behavior all indicate she is pregnant. [5] She underwent one in early 2017. [22] Giant pandas have a short annual window to breed, often around 24–72 hours. [23]
In 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison criticized Labor's pledge to fund Wang Wang and Fu Ni for five more years, saying that Queensland floods should be more of a priority. [24] On 24 November 2019, the Government of South Australia signed a new agreement with China to fund the pandas for five more years, after the initial ten-year deal had expired and the pandas were set to return to China. There have been five previous unsuccessful attempts to get the pair to mate. [25] There have also been four or more attempts to artificially inseminate Fu Ni, including three procedures in 2017 and another planned in late 2022. [26] [27] Adelaide Zoo confirmed that Fu Ni had undergone either a "pseudopregnancy or a loss" in February 2023. [28] Due to the pandas' continued failure to breed, it is possible the zoo might seek out a new pair of pandas after the new contract expires in November 2024. [29]
Wang Wang and Fu Ni's exhibit is called the Bamboo Forest. [30] It is also home to two red pandas, Ravi and Mishry, [31] and Manu, a blue and gold macaw. Dr. Phil Ainsley is the head of the team of panda handlers at Adelaide Zoo. [5]
The giant panda, also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is rotund; adult individuals weigh 100 to 115 kg and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m long. It is sexually dimorphic, with males being typically 10 to 20% larger than females. A thumb is visible on its forepaw, which helps in holding bamboo in place for feeding. It has large molar teeth and expanded temporal fossa to meet its dietary requirements. It can digest starch and is mostly herbivorous with a diet consisting almost entirely of bamboo and bamboo shoots.
The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in San Diego, California, located in Balboa Park. It began with a collection of animals left over from the 1915 Panama–California Exposition that were brought together by its founder, Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth. The zoo was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cage-less exhibits that recreate natural animal habitats.
Adelaide Zoo is a zoo in Adelaide, Australia. It is the country's second oldest zoo opening in 1883, and is operated on a non-profit basis. It is located in the parklands just north of the city centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It is administered by the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia Incorporated, which is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and which also administers the Monarto Safari Park near Murray Bridge.
Panda diplomacy is the practice of sending giant pandas from China to other countries as a tool of diplomacy and wildlife conservation. From 1941 to 1984, the Chinese government gifted pandas to other countries. Since 1984, they have been leased rather than gifted due to a PRC policy change.
Wolong National Nature Reserve, officially known as Wolong Special Administrative Region, is a national protected area located in Wenchuan County in China.
Mei Xiang is a female giant panda who lived at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.
Tian Tian is a 275-pound male giant panda formerly at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. The panda was born on August 27, 1997, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, to Yong Ba (mother) and Pan Pan (father). Tian Tian is the half-brother of Bai Yun, formerly at the San Diego Zoo.
Bai Yun was the first female giant panda who was born at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China. From September 1996 she lived at the San Diego Zoo for more than 20 years, until being returned to China in May 2019. Bai Yun gave birth to her sixth cub in 2012 since arriving at the San Diego Zoo, considered the most surviving pandas born at a breeding facility outside of native China. Bai Yun returned to China with her last-born as the 23-year conservation loan of the pandas came to an end between China and San Diego Zoo Global.
Gao Gao is a male giant panda formerly at the San Diego Zoo from 2003 to 2018 and was then returned to China. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur in 2013. His right testicle was removed for health in 2014. To date, he has fathered five giant pandas in captivity.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a government-funded non-profit breeding and research institute for giant pandas, red pandas, and other rare animals, located in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan were two giant pandas that were gifted by the People's Republic of China to the Republic of China in 2008 as part of a cultural exchange program. The idea was first proposed in 2005, but the previous ROC administration in Taipei had initially refused to accept the pandas.
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base is a giant panda research and breeding facility in Bifengxia Town, Ya'an, Sichuan, China. Since opening in 2004, it has become home to several more giant pandas. This includes the U.S.-born Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, who were relocated there after the May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake severely damaged the panda breeding center at the Wolong National Nature Reserve. Both facilities are managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui were two giant pandas from Sichuan, China on loan to Chiang Mai Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
River Wonders, formerly known as River Safari, is a river-themed zoo and aquarium located in Mandai, Singapore, it forms a part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, consisting of the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Paradise and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Park. It is built over 12 hectares and nestled between its two counterparts, the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, Singapore. It is the first of its kind in Asia and features freshwater exhibits and a river boat ride as its main highlights. The safari was built at a cost of S$160m, with an expected visitor rate of 820,000 people yearly.
Bao Bao is a female giant panda cub who was born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. She lived at the Zoo for four years until February 2017. She is currently located at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province. She is the sister of Tai Shan, Bei Bei and Xiao Qi Ji.
Tian Tian is a female panda born on 24 August 2003 at the Beijing Zoo from mother Niu Niu and father Ying Ying, and a former resident at Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland. She arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 together with a male panda named Yáng Guāng. They were the only two pandas in the United Kingdom. They are on loan from the Bifengxia Breeding Centre in China at a cost of £640,000 per year.
As of 2019, there are 25 zoos in 20 countries and area(s) outside of mainland China, that have giant pandas. These zoos have contracts with China to house these pandas for a few years. The two exceptions are the three pandas held at Taipei Zoo, which are given from the Chinese Mainland, and one panda held in Mexico. Giant pandas are on the IUCN Red List so part of the reason these contracts exist between China and international zoos is to try to help the species reproduce before they are brought back to their native land. For this reason, pandas are treated very well.
Bei Bei is a male giant panda cub who was born and lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in the United States. He was part of US-China relations panda diplomacy, and was sent to the People's Republic of China on November 19, 2019, at the age of 4. He is currently at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base of the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in southwest Sichuan province. He is the brother of Tai Shan, Bao Bao, and Xiao Qi Ji.
iPanda is a website featuring live streaming of giant panda reservation sites. The site is launched by China Network Television (CNTV), the Internet branch of China Central Television in August 2013, and collaborating with Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. The site is available in simplified Chinese and English, aiming to provide a window to observe giant panda's real daily life and to address concerns about endangered species.