To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sino-Singapore relations in 2010, the Chinese government presented Singapore with a precious gift... Read More

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sino-Singapore relations in 2010, the Chinese government presented Singapore with a precious gift - a 10-year loan of a pair of male and female giant pandas.

This significant gesture represents the close diplomatic relations between the two nations, with Singapore becoming the ninth country to be privileged with the reception of the giant pandas from China since 1994. This is also part of a joint collaboration between Wildlife Reserves Singapore and China Wildlife Conservation Association, with the objective of promoting giant panda conservation and raising public awareness of this critically endangered species. Through a panda-breeding programme, WRS aims to contribute to the giant panda population.

A 6-month nationwide contest was held after the announcement in 2010 to name this pair of giant pandas. With nearly a thousand names to choose from, the panel of seven distinguished judges from Singapore and China eventually picked "Kai Kai" (凯凯) signifying 'victorious' for the male panda and "Jia Jia" (嘉嘉) which means 'beautiful' and 'fine' for the female panda. Together, the words "Kai" and "Jia" signify the many years of triumphant and excellent ties between the two nations. The word "Jia" also shares the same phonetic pronunciation as the Chinese character '加', part of Singapore's Chinese name (新加坡).

Kai Kai and Jia Jia will depart from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Ya'an and arrive in Singapore on 6 September 2012. Upon their arrival in Singapore, the giant pandas will call River Safari, Asia's first and only river-themed wildlife park, home.

CapitaLand Limited, as the presenting sponsor and conservation donor of the giant panda collaborative programme, has pledged a conservation donation to support the 10-year programme. Singapore Airlines Limited is the official airline sponsor of the giant pandas.

Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s new home in Singapore will be the Giant Panda Forest, situated at the Yangtze River zone of River Safari. The largest panda exhibit built in... Read More

Kai Kai and Jia Jia's new home in Singapore will be the Giant Panda Forest, situated at the Yangtze River zone of River Safari. The largest panda exhibit built in Southeast Asia, the S$8.6 million Giant Panda Forest is modeled after their natural habitat.

The exhibit design team at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) embarked on a year-long project from February 2011 to construct the giant pandas' new home, a 1,500m² domed roof enclosure. Simulating the cool temperatures of the pandas' natural habitat, the exhibit would have to be consistently cooled at a temperature of 18 to 22°C. Humidity is also controlled at a moderate 50 to 60°.

To enhance the giant pandas' living environment, the team decided that the exhibit landscape would include lush plants, boulders and water features. A waterfall with shallow pools would give the pandas the opportunity to take a dip, and climbing structures were added to allow them to exercise their mobility. Kai Kai and Jia Jia are also free to roam about a specially created outdoor area so as to experience Singapore’s tropical climate and to enjoy fresh air.

Giant pandas are known to live solitary lives, but they are never really alone. The bamboo forests where they live are also homes to many other species of animals. Likewise, Kai Kai and Jia Jia will also have "neighbours" at the Giant Panda Forest. One of which is the stunning golden pheasant and the other is the agile red panda.

There is also a kitchen and research centre that visitors can view through observation windows. By allowing visitors to view the food preparation process for the pandas' daily diet, this onsite kitchen gives visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse to help them learn more about our pandas' diets. While over at the research centre, the focus is on studying the reproduction cycles of the giant pandas as well as observing and monitoring the different types of enrichment activities that can best reduce the stress levels of giant pandas.

Kai Kai and Jia Jia will each need to consume about 20kg of bamboo every day. This works out to a grand total of 14,600kg of food a year... Read More

Kai Kai and Jia Jia will each need to consume about 20kg of bamboo every day. This works out to a grand total of 14,600kg of food a year!

This is a big job for the horticulture team at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). Since early 2009, every available space in River Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo has been converted to special plots of land for bamboo cultivation. A total of 3,000 clumps comprising of four species have been planted.

To ensure Kai Kai and Jia Jia enjoys the freshest bamboo available, the bamboo is cut and prepared on a daily basis. The freshly cut bamboo is then transported to the bamboo nursery at the Giant Panda Forest and stored in a specially designed room within the kitchen to ensure utmost freshness. Bamboo samples will also be sent to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) for pest and nutrient analysis once every two months.