Everland's twin pandas Rui Bao and Hui Bao celebrated their third birthday Monday. Under an international agreement, they must return to China before turning four, making this their last birthday in Korea.
Samsung C&T's Resort Group said it held a third birthday event for Rui Bao and Hui Bao at Everland's Panda Second House that day. Zookeepers Kang Chul-won and Song Young-kwan and about 30 pre-invited guests attended the event.
The zookeepers prepared a birthday cake made of bamboo and a wooden bench for Rui Bao and Hui Bao. The invited guests were selected through a comment event held on the Panda Second House and Zootopia Naver Cafe.
Rui Bao and Hui Bao were born on July 7, 2023, to mother Ai Bao and father Le Bao, weighing 180 grams and 140 grams respectively. As the first twin pandas born in Korea, they now each weigh more than 80 kilograms.
Under an international agreement, Rui Bao and Hui Bao will move to China before turning four. Their older sister Fu Bao also moved to the Shenshuping Panda Base in Wolong, Sichuan Province, in April 2024 before turning four.
"We plan to monitor the health of Rui Bao and Hui Bao and coordinate with the Chinese side to prepare for a safe move at an appropriate time," an Everland official said.
Meanwhile, the youngest panda, born on the third of last month, has grown more than seven-fold in weight over about a month, from 171 grams at birth. It currently lives with mother Ai Bao in the inner quarters of Panda World and is cared for by Everland zookeepers and experts dispatched from China's Panda Conservation and Research Center.
