Goodbye Wang Wang and Fu Ni, Hello Xing Qiu and Yi Lan
In good news for animal lovers, Adelaide Zoo has lined up another two Giant Pandas to join their menagerie after Wang Wang and Fu Ni are deported back to their homeland in November.
Xing Qiu (pronounced Shing Chee-y-ull) a three-year-old male, is apparently quite the looker with a “docile but lively” vibe (whatever that means in panda speak) and Yi Lan (pronounced Ee-lun), also three, is described as playful and beautiful, with a name that means “idly blissful”.
Did we just snag ourselves the Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez of Panda Land?
But let’s not forget the OG hot couple gone wrong, Wang Wang and Fu Ni – the Ben Affleck and JLo of the panda scene. They threw a party over the weekend to celebrate Wang Wang’s 19th and Fu Ni’s 18th birthdays. It was also a chance for their admirers to say farewell as this cubless couple prepares to leave the place they’ve called home for 15 years.
Panda Baby Boom or Bust?
Originally brought in on a 10-year rental agreement with China, their lease was extended in the hope that Wang Wang would use his Wang Wang and make sweet panda love with Fu Ni, finally giving South Australia the baby pandas we’ve been waiting for.
However, baby panda-making is a tricky business. There’s just a three-day window each year when it can happen, and it looks like Fu Ni has had a headache for the last 15 years. Even a shot at artificial insemination didn’t work.
