Ocean Park marks China’s National Ecology Day with Giant Panda birthday celebration

Marking China’s National Ecology Day, Hong Kong attraction, Ocean Park held a birthday party for its much-loved giant panda ambassadors, Ying Ying and Le Le, who have turned 19 years old this month.  

The animal husbandry team once again teamed up with Häagen-Dazs™ to create specially designed cakes which were made with the duo’s favourite food, including bamboo, sweet potato, carrot, pear, Sar Kor and apple, adorned with their name and age.  

Ying Ying and Le Le have played an essential role in raising public awareness about the critical need for environmental protection and wildlife conservation. In celebration of National Ecology Day on 15th August, this joyous occasion for the panda duo serves as a reminder of the importance of cultivating a more sustainable and ecologically balanced world to safeguard the well-being of wildlife animals as well as humans.

Other than giant pandas which are a flagship species for ecological conservation, Ocean Park is also home to a few Chinese species with high conservation values. These include the highly social Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys, red pandas, the critically endangered Chinese alligators and the impressive Chinese giant salamanders.

Giant pandas are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Ocean Park's partnership with the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda has driven conservation, successfully boosting panda populations. As a Nature Conservation Base of Sichuan, China, Ocean Park works closely with experts in Sichuan to further these vital initiatives.

To promote community collaboration and inspire participation in conservation, the Park has launched a new conservation advocacy initiative named Mission R in 2023 which focuses on reversing species extinction trends. With three key directions — Saving Species and Habitats, Eat Local and Plastic Challenge, Mission R aims to encourage behaviour changes in daily life and invite the public to work collectively towards a sustainable future.

The birthdays of Ying Ying and Le Le are 16th August and 8th August 2005 respectively.

Images. Credit: Ocean Park