THE ONLY GIANT PANDA TWINS IN THE U.S. CELEBRATE SIXTH BIRTHDAY

Giant panda twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun turned 6 on September 3, 2022. On Saturday, September 10, the Panda Care Team observed the birthday in a joint enrichment celebration also honoring the twins’ father, Yang Yang, who turned 25 on September 9. For the twins, special enrichment included ice “cakes” shaped as the numeral six and containing frozen produce; birthday bags filled with leafeater biscuits; and a birthday banner. Yang Yang enjoyed similar birthday surprises next door in an adjacent dayroom habitat in The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center.

While Ya Lun can tend to be more hesitant to enter her dayroom habitat when unfamiliar items are present, sister Xi Lun showed no such reluctance, exploring all of the enrichment and tearing the banner.

The celebrations rounded out a season of giant panda birthdays at Zoo Atlanta. The twins’ mother, Lun Lun, turned 25 on August 25.  

Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild in China’s Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. Of these, more than 1,200 live inside nature reserves, and eight of these reserves have been supported by Zoo Atlanta. Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated the species’ status from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016, giant pandas remain heavily reliant on conservation programs. Their threats include habitat fragmentation and habitat loss as a result of deforestation and other human activities. Zoo Atlanta has contributed well over $16 million in support of wild giant pandas in China and has provided support for reforestation projects, conservation education programs, giant panda nurseries, and field research programs and supplies.

Keep up with Ya Lun, Xi Lun, Lun Lun, and Yang Yang on PandaCam. Learn more about the giant panda program or plan a visit at zooatlanta.org.

CONTACT:         
Rachel Davis, Director of Communications
404.624.2812 – office 
404.309.2238 – cell
rdavis@zooatlanta.org

Gavin Johnson
Public Relations and Communications Specialist
404.624.5980 – office 
gjohnson@zooatlanta.org

ABOUT: A proud accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for animal care and welfare, Zoo Atlanta has a mission to save wildlife and their habitats through conservation, research, education, and engaging experiences. The Zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 200 species from around the world, many of them endangered or critically endangered. Highlights include giant pandas, including Ya Lun and Xi Lun, the only giant panda twins in the U.S.; one of North America’s largest zoological populations of great apes; and a global center of excellence for the care and study of reptiles and amphibians. Recent transformations include the African Savanna, featuring new and expanded habitats for African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, warthogs, meerkats and rhinos; Savanna Hall, a state-of-the-art special event destination in the newly restored historic former home of the Atlanta Cyclorama; and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Plaza. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org.