Fu Bao, the beloved Korea-born giant panda, will meet the public on June 12 at the Wolong Shenshuping Base in China after going through over two months of quarantine, the National Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center announced, Sunday.
The facility will be closed on Jun 11 from noon to 5 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to noon on June 12 to ensure safety during Fu Bao’s debut, according to the center.
Fu Bao has adapted to the seasonal bamboo varieties offered by the Wolong Shenshuping Base and especially enjoys bitter bamboo stalks, leaves and white bamboo stalks, according to Xu Xiang, a keeper at the center. The female panda also enjoys apples and steamed corn buns as supplementary food.
The first Korea-born panda, Fu Bao was born in 2020 at Everland amusement park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to her panda parents, Ai 토토 Bao and Le Bao, who had been sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016 as a symbol of friendship between Seoul and Beijing.
The female panda created a nationwide sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic and garnered nicknames such as “Princess Fu” and “Yongin Fu clan” from Korean fans.
She was transferred to her parents’ country China on April 3 in accordance with an endangered species conservation agreement that stipulates that China’s loaned pandas and their offspring should be returned to China before they reach the age of 4.
Fu Bao’s public debut will be broadcast live starting at 9:30 a.m