HISTORY｜Giant Panda Conservation Joint Project Site

1988 "Panda Exhibition of Sea and Land" held: In March 1987, the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base was established to protect giant pandas in captivity and needed international support, so Adventure World joined the donation drive. In 1988, the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China, and the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Park, we signed a short-term loan exhibition contract with the China Zoo Association with the cooperation of the Japan-China Friendship Association and Wakayama Prefecture and the approval of the Chinese government. 1988, two giant pandas, "Chenchen" and "Qingqing", from Chengdu Zoo in Sichuan Province were brought to the Park. A three-month "Pandas of the Sea and Land" exhibition was held in the Park until January 1989, giving guests a chance to see these precious animals and raising awareness about the conservation of these near-extinct animals.

There is an urgent need to improve breeding and maturity rates in captivity.: In 1980, of the 99 pandas in captivity around the world, 92 were wild pandas and only 7 were bred in captivity; by 1990, the number of pandas bred in captivity had reached 27, but due to the death of individuals introduced from the wild, the total number in captivity had not increased and remained at around 100. There was an urgent need to improve the breeding and maturity rate in captivity.

Path to approval from the Chinese government: In 1994, we were able to obtain an import license for giant pandas. In September of the same year, two pandas from the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base arrived at the Park, marking the start of the world's first long-term giant panda conservation joint project between Chinese and foreign zoos. The China Zoo Association established the Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee in 1989, and giant panda breeding research was organized. Japan sends staff to the meeting of the Chinese Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee every year to support research on giant panda breeding in China.

Yongming" and "Rongbin" came for the world's first international breeding study: After discussions with the Chinese side, we decided on two young pandas, "Yongming" (male) and "Rongbin" (female), who met various conditions, including being born in a breeding facility and being a suitable pair for breeding. The name "Rongbin," which means "Rong" in Chengdu and "beach" in Shirahama, was given to the pandas when they were brought into the park. The male was Yongming, born in the Beijing Zoo, and was chosen in consideration of Rongbin's age and pedigree. In September 1994, the two pandas came to the Park for the world's first international breeding study. Since they were only two years old when they were first bred, the pandas were involved in environmental adaptation, feed research, and public awareness activities, but in July 1997, just as full-scale breeding research was about to begin, "Rongbin" died, and breeding research came to a halt. In July 2000, Mei Mei arrived safely at the Park. In July 2000, Mei Mei arrived safely at the Park, and our breeding research was able to start again.

Number of animals kept

*1987 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Two conservation and research facilities opened in China
China Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base
China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center