In July 2024, a zoo in South Korea had a big birthday party. The party was for twin giant pandas named Rui Bao and Hui Bao. They turned one year old. The zoo is called Everland Zoo. It is in Yongin, a city near Seoul. Thousands of people came to celebrate.
Rui Bao and Hui Bao were born on July 7, 2023. Their parents are Ai Bao and Le Bao. These parent pandas came from China. When the twins were born, they were very small. Each one weighed only about 180 grams. Baby pandas are born blind and without fur. They need a lot of care. Zoo workers looked after them every hour of the day. It was very special that both twins survived, because this does not happen often.
By their first birthday, the twins each weighed about 30 kilograms. Their names were chosen by the public. More than 100,000 people voted. "Rui" means something precious and lucky. "Hui" means bright and wise. Everland held a week-long birthday party starting July 5, 2024. The pandas received fruit cakes and ice cakes. Visitors could also learn about giant pandas. During that week, 25 percent more people visited the zoo than the year before.
Giant pandas are very popular in South Korea. The twins have an older sister named Fu Bao. She was born at Everland in 2020. She moved back to China in April 2024. Many people were sad when she left. Now, Rui Bao and Hui Bao are the new favorites. They have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Giant pandas are still a vulnerable species. About 1,860 pandas live in the wild. They live in bamboo forests in China. In 2016, their situation improved a little. The IUCN changed their status from "endangered" to "vulnerable." But pandas still face problems. Roads and cities are destroying their habitat. Zoos like Everland help people learn about pandas and why it is important to protect them.