Hong Kong’s first-ever giant panda twins will make their debut to the public in February, Chief Executive John Lee has announced.
Ocean Park’s twin pandas. Screenshot: Ocean Park, via Instagram.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lee said the two pandas – who live at Ocean Park – were nearly six months old. The public will be able to visit them next month.
The two pandas were born in August to Ying Ying and Le Le, marking the first time that Hong Kong saw the birth of giant panda twins. During their 100-day celebration in September, fans were able to watch a live video of the pandas – who are still unnamed – being fed from a giant screen in the park, but February would be the first time that the public can see them in person.
A clip of the pandas shared to Ocean Park’s Instagram page on Friday showed their mother Ying Ying cuddling the two panda cubs and nursing them. Other videos showed the pandas able to crawl on all fours and playing on a slide.
Ocean Park is now home to six giant pandas – the twins, their parents, as well as new additions An An and Ke Ke, who were gifted by Beijing in October.
The park has launched a number of panda-themed experiences and said it would “capitalise on the presence of six giant pandas in the park to drive citywide excitement” this fiscal year.
Opened in 1977, Ocean Park is Hong Kong’s largest theme park. It also conducts animal conservation research and boasts around two dozen animal attractions including an alligator marsh, aquariums and an Arctic fox den.
Keke, a panda gifted to Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, on Monday, December 2, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam.
In November, the park announced a HK$71.6 million deficit in its latest fiscal year despite the highest number of visitors in five years. The rise in visitors was driven by non-local visitors, with tourists from mainland China almost quadrupling while those from India and the Philippines increased by more than three and five times, respectively.
But at the same time, the park’s operating costs increased 17 per cent from the previous year, with spending on conservation and education comprising almost 30 per cent of this.
