Upgraded Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures to host first public appearance of giant pandas An An and Ke Ke tomorrow

Two giant pandas gifted by the Central Government will make their first public appearance tomorrow at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures at Ocean Park. The newly-named An An and Ke Ke are expected to attract more visitors to the park in the future.

Club Chairman Michael Lee (1st left) joined HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (7th right); wife of the HKSAR Chief Executive Janet Lee (7th left); Executive Deputy Director Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhou Ji (6th right); Deputy Director and member of the Leading Party Group of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Li Yunqing (6th left); Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR Zheng Yanxiong (5th left); Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in HKSAR Cui Jianchun (4th right), and other guests officiate at the giant panda greeting ceremony.

A giant panda greeting ceremony was held today (7 December).

Since their arrival in Hong Kong on 26 September, An An and Ke Ke have been living in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures, which have been upgraded with the support of the Club’s Charities Trust. The pandas have spent their time acclimatising to their new home and enjoying the new facilities.

A giant panda greeting ceremony was held today (7 December). Club Chairman Michael Lee joined HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee; wife of the HKSAR Chief Executive Janet Lee; Executive Deputy Director Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhou Ji; Deputy Director and member of the Leading Party Group of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Li Yunqing; Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR Zheng Yanxiong; Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in HKSAR Cui Jianchun, and other guests officiated at the ceremony.

HKSAR Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (centre); Club Chairman Michael Lee (left) and Chairman of Ocean Park Corporation Paulo Pong (right) at the upgraded Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures.

In total The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has approved over HK$121 million to upgrade the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures and to expand the Giant Panda Adventure. This includes the addition of snowing features and landscape restoration, which provide a high quality, safe, age-appropriate and more natural living habitat for giant pandas. The giant pandas Ying Ying, Le Le and their twin babies currently living in the park will also be able to enjoy the new facilities.

Guests tour at the upgraded Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures

In addition, the donation will support educational programmes for students from underprivileged backgrounds, enabling them to visit the giant pandas at Ocean Park.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is committed to promoting sustainable development. The Club funded Ocean Park’s construction and initial operations after it opened in 1977. In 1998, the Club’s Charities Trust funded the construction of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat, which was later renovated and renamed the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Club has also supported community projects such as the Jockey Club Ocean Park Education Programme and the Jockey Club Giant Panda Junior Volunteer Programme, aimed at fostering awareness of rare animal species, including national treasures like giant pandas. To date, the Club and its Charities Trust has approved a total of over HK$900 million in donations towards Ocean Park’s development and operations.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

The Club’s support for Ocean Park, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities.

The two giant pandas An An and Ke Ke will meet and greet the public at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures starting tomorrow.

An An and Ke Ke, recently gifted to Hong Kong by the central government, met members of the public for the first time on December 8.

Vital expertise: Ocean Park Zoological Operations Assistant Curator Elke Wu says experts from the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda have given the care team invaluable assistance. Source from news.gov.hk

Under the dedicated care provided at Ocean Park, the two lively giant pandas are adjusting well to their new environment, and have been eating and sleeping well.

The park is providing specialist training for the pandas, to make it easier for caregivers to perform dental and blood pressure checks, draw blood samples, and even undertake ultrasound examinations, without the need for anaesthesia.

Ocean Park Zoological Operations Assistant Curator Mandy Tang explained that adult giant pandas are large and powerful, and that their bite force is very strong. This means health checks must be performed with care inside their dedicated training cages.

"By just calling [a panda's] name, if he is willing to come close and allow you to hand-feed him, this is already a basic part of his caregiving training."

An An has already learned to walk from the exhibition area to his training cage on hearing Mandy's call. On arriving in the cage, he extends his hand and makes a fist.

The caregivers have carried out what they call “desensitisation” training with An An. This allows them to use a trimmer on his fur, apply disinfectant to his skin, and gently apply a syringe to his arm, without him becoming frightened. As a reward for accepting their care without fuss, he is given apple slices.

"Giant pandas are very smart,” Mandy stressed. “Step by step, we teach him to touch a target stick with his nose. With the help of the target stick, we can lead him from one place to another, and he can even lie down for us to measure his body temperature.”. 

Meal preparation: The giant pandas’ diet includes bamboo, bamboo shoots, vegetables, high-fibre cookies and freshly steamed "wo wo tou". Source from news.gov.hk

Nutritious diet

Giant pandas eat four meals a day. Their staple food is bamboo from Sichuan and Guangzhou.

The caregivers store the bamboo in a food cabinet that is temperature-controlled and has a sprinkler system to keep the plants fresh.

"The supply and taste of bamboo is greatly affected by weather and environmental factors such as water and soil,” Mandy said. “We provide each giant panda with five to six different types of bamboo daily."

Their diet also includes bamboo shoots, fruit, vegetables, and high-fibre cookies. Like humans, individual pandas have different preferences. While An An loves apples and carrots, "wo wo tou" is Ke Ke's favourite.

"Wo wo tou is freshly made by us from rice flour, soybean flour, and cornmeal, mixed with eggs,” Mandy explained. “The ingredients are kneaded like bread dough, and then steamed."

Giant pandas in the wild spend a lot of time looking for food. Accordingly, Ocean Park has enriched the pandas' environment with items they can play with and which allow them to “forage” even in a captive environment where there is sufficient food.

"We want them to use their intelligence, and their sense of taste, smell, and sight, to forage, which is good for their mental health."

Both five years old – roughly equivalent to 15 years old for a human – An An and Ke Ke have entered what is considered to be adulthood for giant pandas. Mandy highlighted that spring is the breeding season for the species, and said the park will closely monitor any behavioural changes.

"For instance, we will observe whether Ke Ke rubs her tail on the ground. Giant pandas have glandular secretions in their tails, leaving behind a unique scent, which is an important sign of entering their mating season."

Mental stimulation: “Environmental enrichment” items such as this ball allow the pandas to simulate the process of foraging for food in a captive environment. Source from news.gov.hk

Future attractions

The first panda twin cubs born in Hong Kong are anticipated to be another huge attraction at Ocean Park. 

Currently about four months old, the twins' canine teeth are now becoming visible.

Ocean Park Zoological Operations Assistant Curator Elke Wu said pandas feel itchy in their mouths and often want to chew on things at the teething stage.

"When they reach seven to eight months old, they will begin to pick up leftover bamboo leaves or other solid food from their mother and learn to chew. We will then let them try softer foods like bamboo shoot granules."

She added that with the twins' forelimbs growing strong, they can now support themselves to crawl forward, meaning that they will probably soon learn to stand up and walk.

Close monitoring: Ocean Park Zoological Operations Assistant Curator Mandy Tang says she will observe any behavioural changes in Ke Ke during the breeding season. Source from news.gov.hk

Expert guidance

Elke has been working at Ocean Park for 17 years and has cared for older giant pandas such as the late An An and Jia Jia, as well as Le Le, Ying Ying – the twins' mother – and now her precious offspring.

She said that she was honoured to have experts from the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda assisting the Ocean Park team with delivery and rearing, and stressed that their experience in panda care has been vital.

"From the beginning, we all followed the teachings of the experts. In the first few days after Ying Ying's labour, we were reluctant to leave because the experience was so valuable. From choosing the delivery room and the facilities in the nursery to the amount of milk fed to the cubs, we heavily relied on the experts' invaluable experience."

She added with a smile that while most mother pandas like to eat honey, Ying Ying is not a big fan. With the help of the experts, however, the team discovered that she is fond of electrolyte water, which turned out to be useful in getting her to eat and aided in her postpartum care.

Desensitisation process: Caregivers gently touch An An’s arm with a syringe to familiarise him with the blood-drawing process. Source from news.gov.hk