Panda cub Le Le will depart for China in December; farewell event to be held on Nov 20
The two-year-old panda cub will enter mandatory quarantine on the same day.
Le Le, Singapore’s two-year-old giant panda cub, will leave for China in the second half of December. A farewell event will take place on his last day, Nov 20, at River Wonders’ giant panda exhibit.
This was announced by the Mandai Wildlife Group on Friday (Sep 22).
His departure will contribute to the conservation of the Giant Panda species, said the group. This was one of the terms of the original panda loan agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), back in 2021.
Throughout the coming months, Mandai Wildlife Group and experts from CWCA will work to ensure that Le Le is in optimal condition for his journey to China. This involves vaccinations, health assessments and conditioning.
Panda parents Kai Kai and Jia Jia will remain in Singapore under the care of the River Wonders team.
Since turning two, Le Le has been showing increasing signs of autonomy from his mother, Jia Jia. He is observed to eat, rest and play on his own.
According to the Mandai Wildlife Group, Jia Jia has also been displaying slight avoidance behaviours such as moving away when Le Le approaches.
All this is part and parcel of the life stage progression of giant pandas, which are solitary animals by nature, explained the group.
To prepare the pandas for their eventual separation, River Wonders’ animal care team has been conditioning Le Le since February by placing him in a private den, away from his mother.
Feedings have also been carried out in different dens since August.
Visitors can soon view the pandas at different time slots – Le Le from 10am to 2pm, and Jia Jia from 2pm to 6pm.
Le Le’s farewell event on Nov 20 will be held at the Pavilion Capital Giant Panda Forest exhibit, before he moves into mandatory quarantine later that day.
In view of his departure, there will be a 40 per cent discount off the one adult and one child admission bundle to River Wonders from Oct 6 to 31.
Multiple photo points, panda mascot meet-and-greet outings and other events will also be available during this time for guests to revisit highlights of Le Le’s time in Singapore.
