Ocean Park Hong Kong is set to welcome more red pandas as part of its new collaboration agreement with the Forestry and Grassland Administration of Sichuan Province. The move is part of the park’s efforts to start breeding the mammals in Hong Kong and conducting scientific research on them to aid in their conservation. However, the park did not reveal how many new red pandas will arrive or when they are expected to come to the SAR.
In addition, the three red pandas currently at the park — Tai Shan, Cong Cong, and Rou Rou — who are on loan from Mainland China, will remain in the city for another 20 years as part of the agreement. Li Zi, the fourth red panda who was also part of the group that arrived in the city in 2009, passed away from heart complications in 2013.
The star attractions at Ocean Park Hong Kong are its giant pandas — Ying Ying & Le Le — who recently turned 18 years old. The park was also home to two older pandas named An An and Jia Jia, but both passed away due to health issues. There is no word on whether Ocean Park will get any additional giant pandas, especially since Ying Ying and Le Le have not yet produced any offspring.
Earlier this year, the park opened a new animal exhibit area called Sloth and Friends Studio, at which visitors can meet two of the park’s sloths — Sonic and Ying Mok — as well as ball pythons, macaws, and kinkajous.
Header image credits: Tango Chan via WikiCommons