Copenhagen Zoo is one of the most recent European zoos to become home to a pair of pandas! Copenhagen Zoo is one of the oldest in the world, whilst some parts show the age of the Zoo, there are also some new modern buildings and designs – which include the brand new panda enclosure. One thing I quite liked was the live webcam before the pandas even arrived so you could watch the enclosure being built – that’s definitely something different! The pandas have now lived there for a year following their move to Denmark in April 2019, and their enclosure was officially opened by Royalty. The pandas are based very centrally in the zoo between the Asian and Northern areas, so it’s easy to check out some animals and then come back in case the pandas aren’t out or aren’t doing too much when you first arrive.
The panda enclosure is very uniquely designed as the well known Yin and Yang symbol, split so that each of the pandas has a part as their outdoor enclosure. The viewing is from above where you can view completely around the whole space. Underneath the viewing walkway are the pandas indoor enclosures and also a restaurant – you can enjoy a nice meal right next to the panda enjoying their bamboo on the other side of the window! At the entrance to the viewing area there was a sign explaining the enclosure design and which panda was where, but I actually couldn’t tell between looking at the sign and the enclosure itself which panda was which – so one thing that I would have liked to see is some more information at the viewing of each panda with their name and some introductory info to them individually.
XING ER
Male panda Xing Er seemed to really enjoy being outside – he was out all day, mostly spent snacking on bamboo! I arrived within half an hour of opening, and Xing Er was already well situated in the middle of some bamboo. I watched him for around half an hour, and there was only a handful of other visitors there at the time, so it was pretty quiet for the pandas. I then went around some of the animals in The North section of the zoo and came back – Xing Er was still having his morning bamboo!
On walking around the zoo I made sure to come back to the enclosure quite a few times, you really never know when will be the optimal time, and I’m someone who doesn’t want to risk missing something cute! Around mid-afternoon we saw a keeper coming onto the walkway in a little electric cart filled with bamboo. She called for the panda by name a few times, his ears perked up, and she threw some bundles of fresh bamboo and an apple into the enclosure. Xing Er went over immediately and searched for the apple first before going for the bamboo – which he was eating for over an hour and still enjoying when we left. This is something I’ve not seen at other places, even where this would be possible, so it was fun to see. The enclosure was looking pretty muddy, so it hasn’t fared too well in the Winter or Xing Er has done a lot of walking, as pictures I’ve seen from the opening last year showed very nice grass.
MAO SUN
The female panda Mao Sun seemed a little reluctant to come outside – she only came out in the afternoon when the keeper called her. And that was maybe after 5 minutes, perhaps she was in a comfy spot! She stood in the doorway for a while deciding if it was worth coming out – when she eventually did she sat eating firstly the apple and then the bamboo for quite some time. Maybe she is just a little more shy^ It was a little windy and there were some rain showers during the day, perhaps she prefers the sunshine. The enclosure is very nice, with a stream through the middle and a lot of different tree options for climbing.
As far as I could see, the restaurant is only looking into Xing Er’s enclosure and not Mao Sun – she has quite a few different doorways in her enclosure, although some were closed, but this gives her different options of getting to different indoor areas.
Overall, I had a great time seeing the pandas at Copenhagen Zoo. I’m pleased both came outside in the end – even if it was just under the enticement of an apple! I highly recommend Copenhagen Zoo for a visit, there’s so much more to see than the pandas alone, and the city as a whole has so much to offer – be sure to check out my other Copenhagen posts too^