Vienna Zoo to Welcome Two Giant Pandas in 2025

Vienna Zoo to Welcome Two Giant Pandas in 2025

Giant pandas in Panda Valley near Chengdu. Image: APA/BMAW/ENZO HOLEY

 

Two young pandas are set to arrive in Austria from China in the first half of 2025, according to Austria’s Economics Minister, Martin Kocher, following his recent visit to China.

The news comes just weeks after Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna bid farewell to its beloved giant pandas, Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan, who returned to China to live out their remaining years.

While the agreement with China for their successors has been finalised, the exact arrival date of the new pandas is yet to be confirmed.

“The remodelling and expansion of the panda enclosure at Schönbrunn Zoo is expected to be completed in the first six months of next year,” said a statement from the zoo read.

During his trip, Kocher visited Panda Valley near Chengdu. “It was a special experience for me to visit Panda Valley in Dujiangyan during the economic mission to China, which promotes Austria as a business hub, and to see the giant pandas in their natural environment,” he said in a press release.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, around 730 giant pandas are currently housed in zoos and breeding centres across the globe. Schönbrunn Zoo, which has been a part of the conservation effort since 2003, works closely with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to protect the species. The partnership was recently extended for another decade.

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