Second panda cub born at Dutch zoo moving to China at the end of this month

Lang Yue, the giant panda cub born at Ouwehands Dierenpark in July 2024, will move to China at the end of October. “There, she will continue her role in the giant panda conservation program and potentially contribute to a new generation of giant pandas in the future,” the zoo in Rhenen announced.

Lang Yue’s parents, Wu Wen and Xing Ya, will remain at Ouwehands Dierenpark. They have been living at the Dutch zoo since 2017.

Ouwehands Dierenpark collaborates with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the protection and conservation of this species. Part of the agreement is that pandas born outside China would move to China before the age of four.

“After over two years in Rhenen, the time has now come for Lang Yue to take this next step,” Ouwehands Dierenpark said, adding that young pandas in the wild typically also separate from their parents after about two years. “Lang Yue’s departure therefore aligns with the natural development of a young giant panda; she is capable of looking after herself and is no longer physically or nutritionally dependent on her mother.”

The hope is that Lang Yue will eventually have cubs of her own, thereby contributing to the next generation of giant pandas, which, thanks to conservation measures and habitat protection, are no longer considered “endangered.” The IUCN now lists giant pandas as “vulnerable,” one step above endangered.

Ouwehands Dierenpark will organize a “fitting farewell ceremony” for Lang Yue before her departure to China at the end of this month.

Lang Yue is not Wu Wen and Xing Ya’s first cub born in the Netherlands. The panda pair also had a cub in 2020. That cub was named Fan Xing. She moved to China in 2023 as per the agreement.