The Taipei Zoo reopened to the public after its seasonal closure on June 28, which also fell on the 5th birthday of the giant panda “Yuan Bao.” The event brought in plenty of crowds of visitors to join in the celebration.
Around 9 o’clock in the morning, the zookeepers brought in a birthday cake to the enclosure. Yuan Bao proceeded elegantly and began to indulge in the cake in a gentle manner using both paws and mouth in an endearing and cute fashion.
This year, the zoo especially made an ice cake in the form of a basketball hoop and a baseball bat out of ingredients such as sugarcane, pineapple, and bamboo. As reported by the zoo, the cake was prepared out of Yuan Bao’s favorite dishes and had a sporting theme.
Now that Yuan Bao is in the pseudopregnancy state, she is less active. Eating movements were also very gentle. The only thing she toppled over was the bamboo-created basketball hoop.
Reporters saw the sheer number of crowds, where many were taking photos and video. As related by one of the visitors, “watching Yuan Bao have his piece of cake was extremely heartwarming.” Another fan reportedly traveled all the way from Hsinchu the night before and came to the entrance of the zoo as early as 7 o’clock in the morning. She reported she liked giant pandas since she is a child and had been making panda-hand-drawn greeting cards of Yuan Bao since March. Another girl came bearing the panda plush toy she purchased in Beijing and reported waking up early to see the line at 8 o’clock in the morning. She is an avid fan since the pandas were granted to Taiwan in 2008. There were many visitors present who wished Yuan Bao happy birthday. There were also many parents who brought along their children to join in the party. A boy even sang the birthday song in front of everyone, causing many to say how sweet his little voice is.
In addition to the birthday party, the zoo also revealed a new program, the “Giant Panda Veterinary Chatroom,” in which the public could participate in in-depth conversations with veterinarians on panda expert care. The theme for the day was panda dental care, in which participants were brought out onto the stage to witness the keepers in the act of brushing the panda’s teeth. The zoo also revealed future panda birthday parties, “Yuan Zai,” on July 6 and “Yuan Yuan,” on August 30.
The mainland gave giant pandas “Tuan Tuan” and “Yuan Yuan” to Taiwan in 2008, and they currently reside in the Taipei Zoo. They produced “Yuan Zai” in 2013 and “Yuan Bao” in 2020, and both of them are extremely adored by Taiwan citizens. Tuan Tuan died in November 2022 when he was 18 years old due to the decline in his health.