Giant pandas celebrate 8th birthday at Zoo Negara

Giant pandas, Xing Xing and Liang Liang turned eight!

Hundreds thronged the Giant Panda Conservation Centre in Zoo Negara yesterday to witness the birthday of two giant pandas, Xing Xing and Liang Liang.

The pair arrived in Malaysia three months ago as gift to symbolise 40 years of diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia.

In conjunction with the special day, the national zoo offered free passes to members of the public born on August 23 to celebrate their birthday with the giant pandas -- which turned a year older yesterday.

A special ‘ice-cake’ was prepared for the pandas to commemorate the occasion -- as the pair were seen enjoying the treat. The male panda, Xing Xing, was seen devouring the entire cake in an instant while his partner, Liang Liang took her time enjoying the goodie.

Assistant supervisor at the conservation Akmal Hadi Samsuddin said the idea to have the 'ice-cake' came after researching panda birthday celebrations done in other zoos.

“If there’s a birthday, there must be a cake, isn’t it? The panda cake is very special as it was made of bamboo, soy, corn, rice and egg. This one is especially unique because it is a huge cake with beautiful decorations.”

A visitor, Edmund Lee, who turned 41st yesterday, said it was a unique way to celebrate the special occasion.

“Just so happen that the pandas’ birthday and mine coincide on the same day. I was excited to bring my children here to celebrate my birthday. It is indeed a different kind of celebration,” he said.

For Farisha Nor, 21, it took her some courage to be celebrate her birthday at the zoo as she was afraid of animals.

“I thought there won’t be many people who will share the same birthdays with the pandas. So, I came to commemorate this occasion with Xing Xing and Liang Liang. What is more interesting is that I have a fear towards animals, so this will be an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life,” she said.

Meanwhile, Nurul Ifah Nabilah, 9, was thrilled to see the giant pandas close up.

“I am so happy to be able to celebrate my birthday with them (pandas),” she said.

Zoo Negara deputy president Rosly Ahmat Lana said it was the first time that the zoo had organised a birthday celebration on a massive scale for visitors. The programme, he said would be made an annual event.

“This event is to create awareness and to allow the public to learn about the pandas,” he said, adding that such a celebration will be extended to five other animals in the zoo, namely the elephant, tapir, orang utan, bear and Malayan tiger.

Rosly added that the zoo had seen a one-fold increase in visitors since the pandas arrived.