Taipei Zoo

A pair of red pandas from Shanghai Zoo arrived at Taipei Zoo in the early hours of June 6 and are both in good condition. Upon entering the quarantine facility, the male red panda immediately began exploring his surroundings, sniffing around and quickly starting to eat. The female red panda, meanwhile, cautiously observed her new environment. The red pandas will stay in a quarantine suite for one month before moving to the Temperate Animal Area, where they will join Taipei Zoo’s red panda family. Their arrival brings in new genetic lines that will help maintain the population’s genetic diversity. After they have fully adjusted to their new environment, they will be introduced to visitors.

The red panda is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is also included in Appendix I of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. In the 2024 Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, the two cities signed a memorandum of understanding on exchange and cooperation, including animal exchange, professional development, and personnel exchange between zoos. Through these efforts, both sides hope to contribute to the ex-situ conservation of endangered species.

Taipei Zoo is delighted to welcome these two young red pandas from Shanghai Zoo, a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female. By introducing new genetic lines, the zoo hopes to maintain a healthy population size, age structure, and genetic diversity, while continuing to support the important mission of ex-situ conservation for the species.