Giant panda celebrates 1st birthday at Moscow Zoo

The Russia-born giant panda Katyusha celebrated her first birthday on Saturday with special cakes, a cheerful party and best wishes from Moscow citizens.

Her keepers at the Moscow Zoo offered special desserts that took the shape of a large multitier cake made from her favorite bamboo and leaves. At the top of a cake, zoo staff members placed one bamboo shoot denoting the cub's age.

Katyusha was also offered some desserts made from carrots, fruits and steamed cornbread.

An improvised bamboo TV was also made in Katyusha's enclosure with a painted panda "leading" a news program.

Katyusha was born at the Moscow Zoo in the late summer of last year, the first panda to be born in Russia. Her parents, Ru Yi and Ding Ding, giant pandas from China, met in the spring and immediately fell in love with each other, said Svetlana Akulova, director of Moscow Zoo.

Ru Yi and Ding Ding arrived in Moscow in 2019.

According to an agreement, two specialists from China will stay in the zoo for at least 120 days a year for 15 years, supervising and training Russian employees.

Series of events

In order to celebrate the big event, the first birthday of the giant panda born in Russia, the zoo will be holding panda-themed workshops, excursions, quests, lectures, film screenings and traditional Chinese performances, in which everyone can take part, Akulova said.

"For example, guests could learn Chinese dance, try Chinese calligraphy and even take photos with a large Chinese dragon," she said, adding the Moscow Zoo has been decorated in Chinese style for the whole week with red lanterns and other Chinese elements.

On Tuesday, there will be a lecture called Giant pandas — Mysterious guests from the East.

Meanwhile, the film Katyusha — the first in Russia will be screened in the Moscow Zoo library, Akulova said.

Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui thanked the Moscow Zoo as well as experts from both countries for taking good care of the panda family.

Zhang took part in a stamp-release ceremony on Saturday at the zoo. The postage stamp, dedicated to Katyusha and her parents, shows the healthy development of the panda family at the Moscow Zoo and reflects the friendship between China and Russia, he said.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin called Katyusha the national favorite panda. At birth she weighed only 150 grams. Now, she is a 38-kilogram cub. Katyusha deftly climbs the logs, slides down the slide, and tries to repeat everything after her mother Ding Ding, Sobyanin said on his social media account.

He noted that people come to the Moscow Zoo from all over the country to see the panda. About 15,000 people visit the Chinese Fauna Pavilion every day.