Report Chiang Mai Zoo Prepares for Arrival of New Pandas from China

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Chiang Mai Zoo is set to welcome two new pandas from China later this year, as announced by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations. This move is part of a continued partnership between the two nations in wildlife conservation and cultural exchange.

 

Assoc Prof Dr Jessada Yonawanik, chairman of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand (ZPO), led an inspection at the Muang district zoo to assess and prepare the future habitats for these pandas. The project, with an anticipated budget of 110 million baht, aims to create a natural and spacious environment conducive to the pandas' well-being and typical behaviour.

 

The design phase is already underway, ensuring that the new facilities will surpass the standards of when the previous pandas, Xuang Xuang and Lin Hui, were housed at the zoo. Dedicating efforts to enhance management practices, the authorities aim to replicate and build upon the success that brought in over seven million visitors, highlighting the pandas as significant attractions.

 

Zoo director Wutthichai Muangman reaffirmed the zoo's readiness to collaborate with the government, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the ZPO to welcome the new pandas. The previous residents, Xuang Xuang, who passed away in 2019 at age 19, and Lin Hui, who died in 2023 at 21, left a lasting legacy at Chiang Mai Zoo.

 

Their offspring, Lin Bing, born in 2009, was a symbol of international wildlife collaboration and was returned to the Giant Panda Research and Conservation Centre in Chengdu in 2013. The preparation for the new pandas not only enhances the bilateral relationship with China but also continues to support global conservation efforts.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-06-04

 

 

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