On July 30 and 31, Moscow Zoo held birthday celebrations for the giant pandas “Ding Ding” and “Rui Rui,” who are living in Russia. The events featured thoughtfully designed birthday gifts and a range of festive activities, reflecting the zoo’s deep affection for these pandas.
At “Ding Ding’s” birthday celebration, a set of bamboo “furniture” drew particular attention. This included three bamboo chairs, three bamboo cups of varying sizes, a small table covered with a floral tablecloth, and a bamboo vase filled with bamboo leaves. For “Rui Rui’s” celebration, the zoo prepared a special cardboard “grill” filled with fresh green bamboo.
Female giant panda “Ding Ding” was born on July 30, 2017, at the Wolong Shenshuping Base of the China Giant Panda Conservation Research Center. Her male counterpart “Rui Rui,” who is one year older, was born on July 31, 2016, at the Bifengxia Base in Ya’an, Sichuan. They arrived in Moscow in April 2019 to begin their 15-year stay. Last August, “Ding Ding” and “Rui Rui” welcomed their daughter “Katyusha.”

Svetlana Akulova, Director of Moscow Zoo, stated that “Ding Ding,” at 7 years old, weighs 125 kilograms, while “Rui Rui,” at 8 years old, weighs 140 kilograms. “Ding Ding is a great mother, dedicating all her time to her daughter Katyusha. Meanwhile, Rui Rui is a cheerful and kind young panda,” Akulova said.
During the celebrations, “Ding Ding” initially sniffed around with her nose, circled her new “furniture,” and tried out the bamboo cups before enjoying her “birthday cake,” which was made of fruits like apples and grapes and decorated with an ice block shaped like the number 7. In contrast, “Rui Rui” excitedly burst into the scene, first tearing apart the “grill” and then enthusiastically devouring the “birthday cake.”
At the celebration site, Russian visitors crowded outside the glass walls, smiling and taking photos of the two birthday pandas.

Irina Ovchinnikova, head of the China Animal Department at Moscow Zoo, told Xinhua News Agency, “Giant pandas are incredibly adorable. We are very happy and proud to see ‘Rui Rui’ and ‘Ding Ding’ growing up healthy in Moscow.” She added that with the birth of “Katyusha” in Moscow, the Russian people’s affection for the pandas has only grown stronger.
According to Akulova, the zoo has planned a series of engaging activities from July 29 to August 4, including a discovery game called “Panda Adventure,” a themed tour “Pandas and Their Neighbors,” a special lecture on “Secrets of the Giant Panda,” and a themed film “The Great Journey of the Giant Panda.”