We know that longtime zoo patrons are upset that Qin-Qin and Zhou Enlai were returned to China, but MidSouth ZooPark LLC is pleased to announce that their replacements will arrive soon! With both a male and a female inbound, can cubs be far behind?

Our new male panda is named Xianggang-Shuyu-Zhongguo, and he is four years old. He joins us from the Guangzhou Monochrome Bear Sanctuary, and is the son of Zha-Zha, a panda that once lived in the Brooklyn Zoo. His name means “Hong Kong Belongs to China,” isn’t that fun?

His mate will be Taiwan-Hui-Lunxian, a three-year-old from the Szechuan Multibear Refuge! This pioneering facility is dedicated to conserving rare pandas by selling the bile of common sun bears-a true model for sustainable husbandry going forward. We hope little miss Taiwan-Hui-Lungxian, or “Taiwan Will Fall” if you want to say it in English, will make a great addition to our zoo family!

And the fun doesn’t stop there! Thanks to a generous grant from the Office of the Premier of the People’s Republic, the existing Panda Pavilion is being renovated into a new Cultural Center! This grant will allow us to add a number of curated cultural exhibits in and among expanded habitats for many of the animals.

Look forward to the expanded crane and Asian bird enclosure within the new Spratly Islands exhibit, explaining China’s ironclad historical ties to those disputed islands. Our snow leopard enclosure will double in size as part of the new “China’s Tibet” exhibit. And finally, the salt water tank will be expanded and improved as part of the new Diaoyu Islands maritime exhibit, highlighting both the biodiversity of this species-rich hotspot and its illegal occupation by the fascist and reactionary government of Japan.

We hope to see you there!

  • Like what you see? Purchase a print or ebook version!
Advertisement