Sad farewell

Vienna Zoo without pandas: for the first time in 20 years

Female panda Yang Yang looks out of the transport box.

(Bild: DANIEL ZUPANC)

A sad farewell for visitors to Vienna Zoo in Schönbrunn: for the first time in 20 years, there are no more pandas to admire. On Friday, shortly before 8 p.m., a Chinese cargo plane with the two pandas took off from Vienna Airport for Chengdu.

On board were plenty of typical panda provisions: bamboo, sweet potatoes, carrots, bamboo bread and water. During the ten-hour flight, the accompanying team had continuous access to the animals. The pandas were accompanied by their long-time keeper Renate Haider and He Changgui, an employee of the panda station, who had spent a week at Schönbrunn to get to know the animals.

Eating and sleeping
"Yang Yang and Yuan Yuan spent the trip panda-style - eating and sleeping. I will now stay in China for almost two weeks in order to hand over the care step by step to my Chinese colleagues," reports animal keeper Renate Haider.

Female panda Yang Yang looks out of her transport box lined with bamboo

(Bild: DANIEL ZUPANC)

End of life on the geriatric panda ward
The two animals, which were born in captivity, were important ambassadors in Austria for their endangered conspecifics in the wild. In keeping with a deep-rooted Chinese tradition, they have now returned to their homeland to spend the rest of their lives in a ward specializing in geriatric pandas.

The transport crate with the male is lifted out of the facility in Schönbrunn.

(Bild: DANIEL ZUPANC)

Successful research cooperation
The successful research cooperation between Schönbrunn Zoo and its Chinese conservation partner, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, has been extended for a further ten years to promote the protection and conservation of the giant panda and its habitat.

"Our visitors will not have to do without giant pandas for long. A pair of young pandas will be moving in in the near future," announced zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.

From left: zookeeper Renate Haider, zoo vet Thomas Voracek, curator Eveline Dungl

(Bild: DANIEL ZUPANC)

Farewell visit from Wolfgang Schüssel
Curator Eveline Dungl and zoo vet Thomas Voracek accompanied the animals from boarding the transport crates at the zoo to their departure at Vienna Airport. Animals First, a company specializing in the transport of animals by air, provided on-site support. Vienna Airport offers a high level of expertise for special transports and is served intercontinentally by major, leading cargo airlines. With its geographically favorable location in Europe, Vienna Airport has established itself as an important global hub for Central and Eastern Europe.

Thanks to the excellent cooperation between Vienna Airport and Schönbrunn Zoo, many an animal passenger has already been welcomed and seen off in Vienna.

From left: Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, Chinese Ambassador QI Mei, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schönbrunn Zoo Society, former Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, Secretary General Eva Landrichtinger

(Bild: DANIEL ZUPANC)

Last Wednesday, the Chinese Ambassador QI Mei, Secretary General Eva Landrichtinger and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schönbrunn Zoo Society, former Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, paid a final visit to the pandas at the zoo.

Short "pandal-free" time
After all, the giant pandas are also a symbol of Chinese-Austrian friendship and have linked the People's Republic of China and Austria in a special way for over 20 years. Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck also explained to his guests how the short "pandal-free" period is being used to make adjustments to the panda enclosure.

The aim is to offer visitors a completely new panda experience and even more space for the animals with the arrival of the new pair. There will also be a photo exhibition around the panda enclosure during this time. Twenty large-format photographs by zoo photographer Daniel Zupanc will show special moments of panda husbandry at Schönbrunn Zoo.