Exciting news from the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen - after years of preparations, their pandas Xing Ya and Wu Wen mated for the first time on Saturday. In the coming months, Wu Wen's urine will be monitored daily to find out if she is pregnant, the zoo said on Tuesday.
Xing Ya
Mar 29 '18 16:10
Xing Ya and Wu Wen, the two giant pandas living in Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, met each other for the first time "nose-to-nose" on Wednesday. They seemed to really like each other, the zoo announced on Thursday.
Now that spring has arrived, Ouwehands is preparing the two pandas for mating season. It's an exciting and stressful period, according to Ouwehands. The Wolong Giant Panda Center in China matched Xing Ya and Wu Wen based on herd-book data. "But whether the animals will really like each other, remains to be seen."
Dec 5 '17 16:50
American president Donald Trump was also on people in the Netherlands' minds this year, according to Twitter. The social media platform released the top Twitter trends of the Netherlands for 2017, and Trump is number four on the list. Like last year, 'vacture', or 'vacancy' in English, topped the list for the Netherlands this year. According to Twitter, this shows that the platform plays an important role in finding jobs in the Netherlands, RTL Nieuws reports.
Aug 9 '17 12:10
On Tuesday giant pandas Xing Ya and Wu Wen celebrated their 4th birthday in the Ouwehands zoo in Rhenen. To celebrate, the zoo gave each of them a giant birthday 'cake'.
Xing Ya's cake consisted of frozen water, beetroot juice, carrots and apples. The top layer was decorated with four candles made from bamboo and carrots. Wu Wen's cake was made from carrot juice and fruit. Both pandas seemed to enjoy their cakes, both in taste and as a new toy to play with.
May 30 '17 07:58
After seven weeks in quarantine, giant pandas Wu Wen and Xing Ya will make their first public appearance at the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen this afternoon. "We have been waiting for this moment for a long time", zoo director Robin de Lange said to RTV Utrecht. "You can imagine that if you wait for something so long, then your are very happy that it's finally happening today."
May 16 '17 16:45
Fans of the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen will get their first chance to see the newly-arrived Giant Pandas beginning on Tuesday, May 30. Wu Wen and Xing Ya first arrived in the Netherlands from China on April 12, and spent the last month in quarantine, getting accustomed to their new surroundings.
Apr 21 '17 17:05
Two Giant Pandas that recently arrived in the Netherlands are doing well and enjoying their new home at the Ouwehands Zoo, the zoo said on Friday. A new video released by the Rhenen, Utrecht zoo shows Xing Ya relaxing on his back and enjoying a bamboo snack in his new habitat.
His panda partner, Wu Wen, did not make an appearance. The bamboo was grown in the Netherlands, and is part of the 30 kilos of bamboo the two will eat every day.
Apr 13 '17 10:35
Chinese giant pandas Wu Wen and Xing Ya arrived safely in the Netherlands. After traveling nearly 8 thousand kilometers from Chengdu in China, they arrived at their new home in Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen just before midnight on Wednesday, NOS reports.
The two pandas are on loan from China. They will be living in Ouwehands Zoo for the next 15 years.
Apr 12 '17 13:05
Giant Pandas Wu Wen and Xing Ya are aboard KLM flight KL0892 and en route from Chengdu in China to Schiphol Airport. They are expected to arrive at the Amsterdam airport just after 7:00 p.m., Het Parool reports.
After their arrival, the pandas will be transferred to an animal hotel at the airport, which is run by KLM. There they will be received by the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands and 40 children. A selected group will be able to catch a quick glimpse of the pandas.
Apr 11 '17 15:30
Pandas Wu Wen and Xing Ya are very nearly on their way to the Netherlands. On Tuesday China said goodbye to the pandas in a special ceremony. And on Wednesday the two giant pandas will fly to the Netherlands and their new home in Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen on a KLM flight.
During the farewell ceremony the pandas were offered a Schengen visa and each got a bamboo bicycle, as a nod to the Dutch culture, NOS reports.
Mar 14 '17 16:55
Chinese giant pandas Wu Wen and Xing Ya will be coming to the Netherlands on April 12th. They will arrive at Schiphol before being transported ot the Ouwehand Zoo in Rhenen, where they will stay, NU.nl reports.
The Dutch public will still have to wait a while before being able to see the pandas. They have to spend a few weeks in quarantine after their arrival.
