First Panda Cub Born in Russia Makes Her Appearance at Moscow Zoo
It was a big day for Russia's first panda cub on Monday, April 29th when she got her very own enclosure at the Moscow Zoo! Katyusha is the first panda cub to ever be born in Russia. She was born in August 2023 at the zoo, and the outside enclosure she was given plays a big part in her growth and development. According to a Moscow Zoo statement, the enclosure will allow Katyusha to safely explore and learn about the world around her.
ABC News shared a video on Monday of the cub and her mother Ding Ding checking out their new digs. There's lots of eating of course, and the two look like they are happy and enjoying their new surroundings!
ABC News commenters all agreed that Katyusha, who will be celebrating her first birthday on August 24th, is absolutely adorable! In another ABC News article, they reported that Katyusha's parents, Ding Ding and Ru Yi, arrived in Moscow in 2019. In spring of 2023, an expert on panda breeding traveled to Moscow from China to bring the two together to monitor the mating process. Ding Ding's pregnancy was announced soon after.
Related: Giant Pandas Are Returning to San Diego Zoo and People Are Ecstatic
Giant Pandas Are Returning to the U.S.
The U.S. is going to be welcoming pandas back very soon! According to Smithsonian Magazine, this is the first time in more than 20 years that China has agreed to send pandas our way. The San Diego Zoo is expecting their pandas to arrive soon and are very excited about the opportunity to study pandas. Another article in East Bay Times shared, "Chinese experts would travel with the bears and spend months in San Diego." Interestingly, a 2022 report by America’s Congressional Research Service explained, "Zoos typically pay a fee of $1 million a year for two pandas, with the money earmarked for China’s conservation efforts."
Pandas are a symbol of friendship in China, so this is great news for both countries. Strains between the two nations over the past several years caused China to not renew their panda loans with many zoos. Because of this, San Diego Zoo said goodbye to their pandas in 2019, the Memphis Zoo had to send home their panda in April of 2023, and D.C. bid farewell to their pandas in November 2023. The only pandas that remained on U.S. soil are the four that live at Zoo Atlanta. A Belgian zoo as well as a South Korean zoo also have giant pandas, with others sprinkled across the world.
I live in Georgia near Atlanta and had no idea that the zoo had pandas there! This summer I'll have to take the kids to visit and see the pandas since I've always wanted to see one in person!
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