Enthusiastic fans were snapping shots from behind the thick glass window of the panda house in the Schonbrunn Zoo on May 20. The panda that attracted them was Yuan Yuan, a 19-year-old male that arrived in Vienna in mid-April.

Yuan Yuan was quarantined for a month before making his public debut in Vienna. The zoo hopes that he will build a family with Yang Yang, the 18-year-old female who has been living here since 2003. Yang Yang's previous partner, Long Hui, died of cancer in 2016.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen regarded the panda as a "symbol of friendship" between China and Austria. "We really appreciate it; Yuan Yuan is in good hands here." 

There are 2 million visitors to the zoo every year. "Kids adore the pandas – not just kids, all Austrians do – they would wait in queues just to have a look at them. But they are not tall enough to have a better view. So they would come again," said Van der Bellen.

Yuan Yuan is gentle and clever. He has settled in well since his arrival and gained some weight, according to Zoo director Dagmar Schratter. The pair has already eyed each other up through a glass.

Since 2003, the Schonbrunn Zoo has been one of the 23 zoos in the world that host giant pandas. Five pandas were born of Yang Yang in Schonbrunn, all via natural mating. Two of them were even twins, which is very rare for giant pandas.

"Yang Yang and Long Hui were a very harmonious couple chosen by our Chinese colleagues back then. We are very grateful that with such care, a male has been chosen that fits perfectly with Yang Yang in terms of genetics, age and breeding experiences," said Schratter.