Hainan pandas celebrate 12th birthday in style

The Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden in Haikou, Hainan province, celebrated the 12th birthday of the giant pandas Gonggong and Shunshun on Sunday, marking their seventh year on the island with a lively festival blending conservation awareness, local culture, and interactive fan activities.

The Seventh International Panda Fan Festival featured traditional Li and Miao ethnic performances, bamboo-weaving displays, and panda-themed decorations merging tropical flair with wildlife conservation. Guests helped cut a specially-designed birthday cake, and the park unveiled the winners of a panda-themed art competition for ticket designs.

An exhibit documenting the pandas' growth highlighted the pair's care milestones. Young volunteers from Dongshan Central Primary School guided visitors through hands-on science stations, including a behavioral enrichment lab simulating panda habitats, a nutrition demo breaking down bamboo digestion, and a microscope station comparing fur samples. Other activities included an ASMR sound booth of panda vocalizations and an eco-craft workshop.

Park officials said the event aimed to deepen public understanding of pandas as an umbrella species — key to broader ecosystem protection — while showcasing Hainan's role in wildlife conservation.

The brothers, born in 2013, moved to the park in 2018.