Adelaide Zoo Celebrates Giant Panda Birthdays with a Party

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: August 23, 2020 4:58 pm

Funi the panda explores her enrichment

Photo Credit: The Animal Facts

The Adelaide Zoo’s giant panda pair have celebrated their birthdays with a pirate themed party. The annual teddy’s bear picnic event was held to celebrate the event and attracted a socially distanced crowd to watch the pair receive some treats to celebrate the special day.

Funi the female panda was celebrating her 14th birthday and went straight for a large number fourteen covered with honey made from cardboard by zoo volunteers. She made short work of licking up the honey and tearing apart the cardboard numbers.

Today was the actual date of Funis birth. She was born on August 23rd, 2006 at the Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre.

Funi explores her “birthday cake”

Photo Credit: The Animal Facts

After licking up all the honey she made her way to a birthday cake formed from boxes. After tearing in to this she was able to access some panda cake. This cake is made by keepers to help supplement their diet and is a favorite treat for the pandas.

Wang Wang started his partying with his favorite activity, a sawdust bath. He then made his way to the large numbers created by zoo volunteers to lick up honey.

He will celebrate his 15th birthday on August 31st. He was born in 2005 at the Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre. Wang Wang moved to Adelaide Zoo with Funi in 2009.

Left: Wang Wang enjoying some enrichment Right: Funi with her enrichment

Photo Credit: The Animal Facts

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In addition to the large numbers the pair enjoyed a range of pirate themed enrichment. These included pirate ships, treasure chests and a baby panda all made from cardboard and filled with treats.

“The pair are getting a pirate-themed party this year with a birthday cake each, pirate ships, treasure chests, panda pirates filled with apple, pear, panda cake and sawdust,” says Director of Life Sciences, Phil Ainsley.

“This celebration not only marks the Giant Pandas’ birthdays but is also a reminder to celebrate Pandas in general. They are a very special and vulnerable species that need our help,” finished Phil.

Some of the enrichment items prepared for the pandas.

Photo Credit: The Animal Facts

Zoos SA (the charity which manages Adelaide Zoo) work with their Chinese counterparts to develop scientific knowledge about pandas’nutritional requirements and reproductive biology.

Learn more about the giant panda – Giant Panda Fact File | The Animal Facts

Learn about Adelaide Zoo on their website – Adelaide Zoo