Adelaide Zoo, Adelaide - home to Wang Wang (M) and Funi (F). They arrived on November 28, 2009.
Name: Wang Wang (网网)
Sex: Male
DOB: August 2005
Arrived in Adelaide: November 28, 2009
Name: Funi (福妮)
Sex: Female
DOB: 2006
Arrived in Adelaide: November 28, 2009
Adelaide Zoo is Australia's second oldest zoo, located in Adelaide, South Australia and the only major metropolitan zoo in Australia to be owned and operated on a non-profit basis. The zoo also owns the Monarto open plains zoo near Murray Bridge.
Adelaide Zoo entrance (Left). A group of students visiting Adelaide Zoo (Right)
The zoo houses some almost 300 native and exotic species, with over 1,800 animals on site. Currently, two young gorillas can also be seen here on loan from Taronga Zoo, until being sent overseas for breeding. Currently the zoo is in the second phase of constructing its South-East Asia exhibits, providing visitors with the experience of walking through the jungle with Sumatran Tigers and Orangutans seemingly within reach and in 2009 will be home to two Giant Pandas.
Many features of the zoo are of architectural importance and are heritage listed by the National Trust of South Australia, including the front entrance on Frome Road, and the former Elephant House. The zoo is also a botanical garden and the grounds contain significant exotic and native flora, including a Moreton Bay Fig planted in 1877.
Giant Panda in 2009
On September 6, 2007, China agreed to send two giant pandas to Australia at a meeting between Prime Minister John Howard and President Hu Jintao ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit.
Wangwang, a two-year-old male panda and Funi, a one-year-old female, will spend 10 years at Adelaide Zoo as part of a breeding program to ensure the survival of the endangered bears, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
The pandas were bred in captivity at the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan.
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Adelaide Zoo arborist Joe Jones retrieves bamboo from a Mile End home grower.
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Inset: Wang Wang and Funi.
"Wangwang and Funi's stay in Adelaide will be a lasting reminder of the warm relations between Australia and China and the successful visit of President Hu to Australia," Downer said.
"We are proud to help ensure a bright future for the giant panda," he added.
"Through sustained and cooperative effort, our children and their children will be able also to see this unique animal."
Giant pandas are among the world's most endangered species, with around 1,600 living in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan province, and some 160 in captivity around the world.
China set up a loan system in 1984 under which foreign zoos house breeding pairs of the black-and-white bears.
Behind the scenes - timeline
January 2007: Zoos SA chief executive Dr Chris West and conservation director Kevin Evans begin talks on how to bring Giant Pandas to Adelaide.
August 2007: A Chinese delegation inspects the Adelaide Zoo's facilities to determine if it could provide a suitable home.
September 2007: The Australian and Chinese governments sign an agreement to bring two Giant Pandas to Adelaide.
March 2008: An upgrade of Adelaide Zoo to provide facilities for the expected influx of visitors is announced.
November 2009: Two Giant Pandas, called Wangwang and Funi, arrived at the zoo.
2011 - 2019: The pandas will reach sexual maturity and are expected to start breeding.
2019: The pandas are expected to be relocated to another country.
Wang Wang and Funi arrived at Sydney airport on November 28, 2009.
More information:
Adelaide Zoo
Frome Road
Adelaide SA 5000
AUSTRALIA
http://www.adelaidezoo.com.au/
