New panda pair at Zoo Negara
Zoo Negara offering free entry to children isn’t the only thing to get excited about this November. The national zoo is set to welcome two new giant pandas in mid-November, so there’ll be another adorable duo to look out for on future trips to the zoo.
Pandas will be on a 10-year agreement
Zoo Negara will see the arrival of the new giant panda pair in the third week of November, as shared by the Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Si, in a report by The Star.
Image credit: Bernama
This follows the farewell of the beloved panda duo, Xing Xing and Liang Liang, in May 2025, who were repatriated to China after spending a good 11 years at Zoo Negara, where they gave birth to three cubs. They came to Malaysia in 2014 to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the country and China.
Image credit: @zoonegara_malaysia via Instagram
The new younger pandas being sent to Malaysia in November are under a panda loan initiative between the country and China, signed on 16th April during a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The agreement allows for the new pandas to remain in Malaysia between 2025 and 2035, and maintains China-Malaysia relations and collaborative research efforts on panda conservation and protection.
More days with giant pandas ahead in Malaysia
It’s exciting times ahead for us Malaysians, as Zoo Negara will see the arrival of two new giant pandas soon. They’ll be here on a 10-year agreement, too, so we can expect to see them on more than just one visit.
Cover image adapted from: Xinhua