Sobyanin trumpets the birth of the first-ever giant panda cub in Russia’s history

The first giant panda cub in the history of Russia is born at the Moscow Zoo, as announced by Sergei Sobyanin on his Telegram channel.

“This unique and very rare occasion is the result of the well-orchestrated effort of our specialists and their Chinese colleagues. Pandas are the national symbol and heritage of the Celestial Empire. With the efforts of the Chinese government and relevant partners, the giant panda population has reached almost 2,600 animals over the years, of which about 1,900 live in the wild. Transferring animals to another country is a sign of great trust. Ru Yi and Ding Ding arrived in Moscow in 2019 to commemorate the 70 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries,” the Moscow Mayor said.

The baby weighing about 150 grams is born to a young pair of giant pandas — male Ru Yi and female Ding Ding; The cub’s gender is unknown so far; Ding Ding has a strong maternal instinct, so she immediately accepted the baby, but she is monitored around the clock and has all the tests as necessary.

The pandas were transferred to the Moscow Zoo under the international program promoting conservation, protection and research of giant pandas, while the zoo’s mission is to make a significant contribution to creating a reserve population of these rare animals.

Unprecedented occasion

The first giant panda cub in Russia was born after the pair mated in a natural way. A breeding expert from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda arrived in Moscow to stay there for three months to help his colleagues. The specialists did not push the animals, strictly followed the instructions of their Chinese colleagues, achieved ideal conditions and, as a result, the female became pregnant the first time.

This case is also unique because Ru Yi and Ding Ding are young — seven and six years old, respectively, whereas the first cub is normally born to 8–10 year old parents.

Getting offspring of pandas is incredibly difficult; the birth of cubs is both a great success and the result of long painstaking efforts.

Ru Yi and Ding Ding in Moscow Zoo

The giant pandas arrived in Moscow on a special flight from Beijing on April 29, 2019. The opening ceremony of the Moscow Zoo’s Chinese Fauna pavilion was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping, who ruled to conduct a joint study of these rare animals to commemorate the 70 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

When the pandas arrived in Moscow, Ru Yi was two and a half years old and Ding Ding was one and a half. The zoo thoroughly prepared for their arrival and totally renovated the enclosures spanning more than 800 square meters. In addition, Moscow Zoo employees took a business trip to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to spend several months there, learning how to keep these rare animals. Now zoologists send regular reports to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

Giant Pandas Conservation Program

The giant panda is China’s national heritage and is incredibly popular all over the world. At one time, these animals were classified as endangered, but after many years of efforts taken by the Chinese government and partners, the giant panda population has reached almost 2,600 animals, about 1,900 of them living in the wild.

In October 2021, China officially established its Giant Panda National Park with a total area of more than 22,000 square kilometers, providing the best habitat for survival and reproduction. China’s giant panda research and breeding centers also offer training courses on how to adapt animals to the wildlife in the case of captive breeding and how to recover small populations in the wild, a total of 11 pandas having been released into the wild with nine survived.

Today, China is conducting a joint international giant panda conservation study involving 22 organizations in 19 countries, such as the United States, Japan, France, and Russia. They have created a favorable breeding environment and have forged highly skilled medical and research teams. Russia and China also shared experience and collaborated in research and conservation of the rare species, international cooperation playing a pivotal role in giant panda conservation.

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