Giant panda Fu Bao to meet public on June 12 in SW China

Celebrity panda Fu Bao will meet the Chinese public for the first time on June 12 in southwest China's Sichuan Province after returning to the country from South Korea about two months ago.

Now four years old, Fu Bao was the first giant panda born in South Korea. After her birth, she quickly became an online sensation among netizens and was a source of joy for many during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After returning to Sichuan, the hometown of pandas, Fu Bao began her new life at the Shenshuping giant panda base at the Wolong National Nature Reserve.

Following a month of inspection and quarantine, she has been living in a breeding park at the base since May 5.

Xu Xiang, a keeper at the Wolong Shenshuping Base, said Fu Bao has adapted to the seasonal bamboo varieties offered and particularly enjoys bitter bamboo stalks, leaves and white bamboo stalks. She is also fond of apples and steamed corn buns as supplementary food.

Born in July 2020, Fu Bao, whose name means lucky treasure in English, is the first cub of giant pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, who were sent to South Korea in 2016 on a 15-year lease from China.

According to China's Xinhua News Agency, giant panda cubs born overseas are generally returned to China between the ages of two and four to prevent inbreeding.

After the beloved giant panda returned to China, some South Korean travel agencies seized the opportunity to introduce "panda tourism," offering tourists the chance to visit Sichuan and see the pandas up close.

The Shenshuping giant panda base covers an area of 150 hectares and is located at an altitude of 1,700 meters.

With an ideal natural living environment surrounded by mountains and a mild, humid climate, the base is home to over 70 giant pandas, including Xiao Qi Ji, another popular giant panda born in the United States.

(Cover: Giant panda Fu Bao eats bamboo shoots at Everland Resort in Yongin, South Korea, August 24, 2023. /CFP)