Panda Twins Ruibao and Huibao Celebrate Their Second Birthday
The Last Birthday with Their Mother
Beginning Their Independence Training This Summer
The twin giant panda sisters, Ruibao and Huibao, who were the first twins ever born in Korea, have celebrated their second birthday. They are the younger sisters of Fubao, who was relocated to the Wolong Shensuping Base in Sichuan Province, China, in April last year.
On the morning of July 7, Samsung C&T Resort Division Everland announced that it held a birthday party at Panda World to celebrate the twins' second birthday, with panda zookeepers including Kang Chulwon and Song Younggwan, as well as specially invited guests in attendance.
During the birthday party, the zookeepers made a large cake out of bamboo, a favorite treat for pandas, for Ruibao and Huibao. They also presented a variety of enrichment toys, including ice rocks to help the pandas stay cool during the summer and bamboo toys.
Additionally, around 40 Bao Family fans who were invited through a pre-event on the Everland Cotton Candy mobile app gathered at the event. They quietly sang a birthday song together and sent messages wishing for the twins' health, making the occasion especially meaningful.
Ruibao and Huibao were born on July 7, 2023, to mother Aibao and father Leobao, weighing 180g and 140g respectively at birth. Now, each weighs about 70kg, meaning their weight has increased by 440 times in just two years.
To mark the twins’ second birthday, Everland also held a special event to express gratitude for their healthy growth and to wish them continued happiness. As part of the celebration, Ruibao and Huibao received employee badges engraved with their faces and names.
In particular, plush dolls and keyrings of Ruibao and Huibao wearing their employee badges have also been newly released and are now available at Everland gift shops.
This birthday is especially significant because it is the last one the twin pandas will spend with their mother.
Because pandas typically become independent from their mothers between one and a half to two years after birth, Ruibao and Huibao do not have much time left to stay by Aibao’s side.
This summer, Everland plans to gradually increase the time the twins spend apart from their mother as part of their independence training. Starting in September, Ruibao and Huibao will move into the new Panda Second House, where they will live together.
As a result, the adorable and loving scenes of Aibao and her two daughters playing and interacting in the same space will only be visible until this summer.
The Panda Second House, where Ruibao and Huibao will move, is located right next to the existing Panda World where their mother and father reside. The new facility is being built with both indoor and outdoor enclosures.
Zookeeper Kang Chulwon told fans at the birthday party, "I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Aibao, the super-mom who raised Ruibao and Huibao so well. The twins are about to begin their journey toward independence as adult pandas, so please continue to show them lots of love and support."
To celebrate not only the twins’ birthday but also those of mother Aibao (July 13), older sister Fubao (July 20), and father Leobao (July 28), Everland is holding the Panda Birthday Week event, "Happy Baos Day," through August 3.
At the panda-themed gallery Bao House, from July 7 to July 28, a special on-site event is being held where visitors can try to match the four-digit birthday numbers of the panda family on an electronic timer, with special badges given as prizes.
At the Panda World gift shop, customers who make purchases above a certain amount by August 1 will receive additional gifts such as panda photo cards with birthday messages from the zookeepers and Bao Family eco-bags. At the Panda World Cafe, the Bao Birthday Set, which includes a reusable cup, sticker, milkshake, and roll cake featuring the Bao Family, will be introduced in a new style each week.
Online, from July 7 to July 9, anyone can participate in the Ruibao and Huibao balance game on the Everland Cotton Candy mobile app, with 40 winners receiving employee badge plush dolls, keyrings, and more.
On Everland’s Instagram and the Zootopia Naver Cafe, additional events such as Bao Family shadow art and birthday comment events are being held, with generous prizes awarded.
Jung Donghee, head of the Zootopia team (zoo director), said, "I would like to thank all the fans who have always supported and loved Ruibao and Huibao up to their second birthday. We will do our utmost to ensure that the entire panda family can live healthy and happy lives."
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