Giant pandas debut at Adelaide Zoo (2025)

Giant pandas Yi Lan and Xing Qiu have frolicked joyfully for the first time in their new home at Adelaide Zoo's Bamboo Forest, as dignitaries and visitors welcomed the pair to their new life in Australia.

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After an official welcome ceremony on Tuesday led by SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian, crowds streamed into the pandas' new home to see them explore their surroundings.

The journey of Yi Lan, 3, and Xing Qiu, 4, began on December 16, when they boarded a flight from Dujiangyan in China to Adelaide, and then spent a month in quarantine before officially becoming the only giant pandas on display in the southern hemisphere.

The pair replaced Wang Wang and Fu Ni, who arrived in Adelaide in 2009.

They returned to China in November after being adored by millions of visitors, but were ultimately unsuccessful in delivering on hopes they would become parents.

Adelaide Zoo director Phil Ainsley said the quarantine period had given vets and keepers an opportunity to learn about the pandas' personalities.

Giant pandas debut at Adelaide Zoo (1)

Giant panda Yi Lan, 3, made her debut at Adelaide Zoo along with her male counterpart Xing Qiu, 4. Photo: HANDOUT/ZOOS SOUTH AUSTRALIA

He said Yi Lan was "an incredibly cheeky young panda" while Xing Qiu was "quite relaxed and is very happy munching on bamboo shoots".

"He has an amazing appetite and a taste for our Adelaide-grown bamboo varieties, eating around 30kg a day."

Giant pandas debut at Adelaide Zoo (2)

Xing Qiu has developed a fondness for Adelaide-grown bamboo, according to the zoo's director. (HANDOUT/ZOOS SOUTH AUSTRALIA)

The pandas will remain in separate, adjacent enclosures and keepers won't consider bringing them together for breeding purposes until they're aged at least seven.

Both animals crept out cautiously into their new outdoor environments to begin exploring.

Xing Qiu did not linger for long, heading to his indoor enclosure for a nap before later returning to the delight of their first visitors.

But Yi Lan was more adventurous, ripping apart her enrichment box to access the panda cake, apple and carrot inside.

Giant pandas debut at Adelaide Zoo (3)

'Cheeky' Yi Lan couldn't wait to open her enrichment box to get to the panda cake inside. (HANDOUT/ZOOS SOUTH AUSTRALIA)

The pandas were a powerful symbol of strong diplomatic relations between Australia and China, Mr Malinauskas said.

"It's a great occasion, particularly for young South Australians, to witness the extraordinary beauty and magnificence of two majestic animals," he said.

"I understand Yi Lan is a particularly playful and feisty lady, and that Xing Qiu is indeed a handsome fellow with an auspiciously round head, which is a good thing."

Mr Xing noted that efforts to save their species had meant their population had grown from "less than several hundred to over two thousand".

"We're not (just) celebrating the continuation of joint panda conservation, but also symbolically, the continuation of the friendly and co-operative relationship between our two countries and two peoples," he said.

"We have successfully stabilised our relationship, consolidated that good momentum, and we made a successful turnaround in our bilateral ties."

Beef, wine, barley and seafood, particularly lobster, were now being traded with China in "extraordinary volumes", Mr Malinauskas said.

Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farell said trade with China had reached a record $327 billion last year "and it's overwhelmingly in Australia's favour by about $100 billion".

He said the screaming that could be heard in the Bamboo Forest was from his youngest grandson, Leo, because when he arrived at the pandas' enclosure, "this young lady here (Yi Lin) was climbing up that tree, and what a treat to see on the first day that they've been released out of captivity".

Australian Associated Press

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