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Panda boom in Vienna: Chinese animal lovers celebrate the new guests!
Find out everything about the arrival of the pandas at Schönbrunn Zoo: cooperation, ceremony and species protection in Austria.
Panda boom in Vienna: Chinese animal lovers celebrate the new guests!
The Schönbrunn Zoo, the jewel of Vienna's zoological facilities, has been busy with its new residents in recent months. On April 23, 2025, the two pandas “Lan Yun” and “He Feng” arrived in Austria on loan from the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), where they will now stay for the next 10 years. These specimens of the endangered species represent not only a biological collaboration, but also a cultural connection between China and Austria.
The goal of this cooperation is clear: the breeding and conservation of pandas, whose numbers in the wild had declined sharply. 45 years ago there were only around 1,100 pandas alive, but this number has now increased to around 1,900 free-living animals. In order to give the pandas optimal acclimatization, they were initially kept in quarantine in the “Hotel Tiergarten Schönbrunn” until May 14, 2025. On this day, the official welcome took place with an impressive ceremony, the traditional “lion dance”. Representatives of the Austrian government, including Federal President Alexander van der Bellen and Federal Chancellor Dr. Christian Stocker, highlighted the cultural and diplomatic significance of pandas.
Panda culture and tradition
The lion dance, which was performed during the welcoming ceremony and also during the “Animal Summer Evenings” between June 27 and July 18, 2025, is deeply rooted in Buddhist tradition and symbolizes good luck and protection from evil spirits. This performance was not only culturally enriching, but also underscored the importance of pandas as bridge builders between cultures, as Chinese Ambassador Qi Mei emphasized.
The pandas' names also carry deep symbolic meaning: "Lan Yun" means "grace of an orchid" and "He Feng" means "breath of lotus". Both names reflect the aesthetics and philosophy of Chinese culture.
A long road to panda conservation
The collaboration between the CWCA and Schönbrunn Zoo began in 2003 and has proven to be extremely successful over the years. Over two decades, significant progress has been made in panda conservation, breeding and scientific research. Schönbrunn Zoo is proud to be one of the oldest zoos in the world, with over 270 years of history, and remains actively committed to species conservation. As part of the new agreement dated June 26, 2024, another pair of giant pandas is expected from China.
Female pandas give birth to 6 to 7 twins, with often only one of the cubs surviving. This highlights the challenge facing response efforts. Therefore, the Chinese government's efforts to protect and restore pandas' habitats are more important than ever.
In summary, the arrival of Lan Yun and He Feng represents a milestone for Schönbrunn Zoo. The pandas are not only a crowd puller, but also an important symbol of international cooperation in the field of species protection. It will be exciting for visitors to follow the development of these graceful animals in Vienna and at the same time make a contribution to protecting the species.