Hong Kong's ocean park spearheads in panda conservation

The "Global Panda Conservation Tour" kicked off on Friday at Hong Kong Ocean Park, which has accommodated the only four giant pandas in the city for more than ten years. Entering the "Giant Panda Adventure," tourists can suddenly get refreshed by a breeze of chill. Temperature in the venue is kept around 21 degrees Celsius all year long to make the two eight-year-old giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le feel comfortable, said Cissy Ko, assistant curator of the park's Terrestrial Life Sciences, who has been caring for the two pandas since they arrived in Hong Kong at the age of two. Three to four staff are assigned in the park's opening hours to observe and take records of diet and daily life of the pandas, such as the time of their sleeping, moving around or eating bamboos, Ko said. The landscape of the venue, which includes waterfalls, streams, bamboos and other plants, has been designed to imitate panda's natural habitat in China's western Sichuan Province, according to the Park's Pandas Keeper Long Shun-Kwan. "Veterinarians and working staff had been sent to Sichuan for a period of time to get familiar with giant panda's living habits," she said. "Thanks to the training, we quickly grasped methods of how to take care of them after they arrived." In the "Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasure," live the other two pandas named An An and Jia Jia, which are 27 and 35 years old respectively. "They are beloved and privileged creatures of the Park as Ying Ying and Le Le," Long said. "They just celebrated their birthdays this August and had been served with specially made icy birthday cakes and fruit platters." As to their health condition, the younger pandas Ying Ying and Le Le are quite healthy, while An An and Jia Jia have age-related conditions, such as muscular pains, arthritis and high blood pressure. "Jia Jia was recognized as the world's oldest female giant panda under human care," Long said. "We check her health including blood pressure weekly and offer her more sweet bamboo shoots and fruits to make her diet more suitable." Besides, the park has been promoting the awareness of panda conservation among the public. The Ocean Park Academy now provides 7 education programs related with pandas, according to Ko. Since 1999, more than 110,000 tourists have learned the importance of panda conservation through a wide range of education programs and activities. Numerous exhibiting boards in the venues also offer the public information efficiently. According to a research conducted last year, 88 percent of the respondents said that they had acquired more knowledge about pandas conservation after their visit to the park's Giant Panda Adventure and 92 percent believed the park positively influenced their attitude toward the protection of wild animals and the environment. What is more, the park has been supporting conservation of wild giant pandas through a long-term financing based on the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation. One Hong Kong dollar will be donated upon each selling of the park's entry ticket, and part of the profits of panda souvenirs will also go to the foundation, said Ko. The foundation has donated more than 21 million Hong Kong dollars to support over 70 scientific and conservation programs on pandas since 1999. An An and Jia Jia were given in pair to Hong Kong by China's central government on March 11, 1999, while Ying Ying and Le Le were given as gifts marking the 10th anniversary of the city's return to China.