Taipei Zoo

The red pandas, Lele and Tiantian, from Shanghai Zoo, arrived at Taipei Zoo on June 6, 2026. After completing more than a month of quarantine and adapting to their new surroundings, they are now undergoing familiarization training in their new outdoor habitat. When the male, Lele, first entered the quarantine facility, he spent only a short time sniffing his surroundings before revealing his love of food by enthusiastically enjoying the meal prepared by his keepers. In contrast, the female, Tiantian, showed the cautious nature typical of a red panda in an unfamiliar environment, carefully observing everything around her while exploring at her own pace. On July 29, Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an, Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua, Commissioner of the Department of Education Tang Chih-min, Commissioner of the Department of Labor Wang Chiu-tung, and Taipei City Councilor Chin Hui-chu attended the public debut event for the red pandas from Shanghai Zoo, where their names, Lele and Tiantian, were officially unveiled, with the hope that they will bring joy and sweetness to visitors of all ages.

In recent years, the Temperate Zone Animal Area has gradually upgraded its red panda outdoor habitats. This year, the outdoor enclosure beside the Penguin House was renovated by replacing the old wire-mesh fencing with floor-to-ceiling glass viewing panels, allowing visitors—especially children—to observe the red pandas from a lower and more open vantage point. The habitat features a multi-level, three-dimensional climbing structure with interconnected wooden ladders, rope bridges, and shaded shelters that blend naturally into the surrounding woodland. These layered structures provide abundant opportunities for climbing, resting, and hiding, allowing the red pandas to express their natural behaviors while creating an environment that more closely resembles their wild habitat. Visitors are encouraged to look for the red pandas among the trees, making the experience of spotting them among the trees even more enjoyable. The newly renovated habitat was completed just in time to welcome the two red pandas after quarantine. After several weeks of adapting to their new surroundings and becoming familiar with their keepers through training, the red pandas, Lele and Tiantian, officially made their public debut on July 29.

The red panda is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and is included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). During the 2024 Taipei–Shanghai City Forum, the two cities signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation that includes animal exchanges, professional collaboration, and staff exchanges between their zoos, with the shared goal of strengthening ex situ conservation efforts for endangered species.

In 2026, Taipei Zoo welcomed two young red pandas from Shanghai Zoo—a three-year-old male, Lele, and a two-year-old female, Tiantian. By introducing these new bloodlines, the zoo aims to maintain a healthy population size, balanced age structure, and strong genetic diversity, while working together to advance the mission of ex situ conservation.