The sheer joy of a panda witnessing the snowfall this year has captivated online viewers. Meng Meng, a nine-year-old panda, couldn’t hide her excitement when she saw the first snow of the year at a zoo in northeastern China.
An enchanting video surfaced online showing Meng Meng playing in the snow, jumping around the playground, and finally climbing a tree in pure delight. This touching moment was filmed on November 2nd at the Siberian Tiger Park in Changchun, Jilin Province.
According to a report from People’s Daily Online, this park is home to Meng Meng and her companion, Jia Jia. Meng Meng and Jia Jia, aged nine and ten, were transferred to the park from Sichuan Province in China in June 2015 to have an entirely new experience—living amidst snow. The pair are expected to spend three years in Changchun, a city close to Russia and North Korea.
Meng Meng was overjoyed in the video as she witnessed the snowflakes fall. Meanwhile, Jia Jia appeared more calm, munching on bamboo shoots. Though they had encountered snow before, this did not stop them from enjoying the excitement of the first snowfall of the year.
Zhang Meng, the panda caretaker, revealed to cnjilinwang, a local news outlet, that pandas can participate in outdoor activities in temperatures as low as -10°C. However, Zhang stipulated that the pandas’ snow playtime is limited to around 60-90 minutes. To cope with the cold, the pandas are given extra food during the winter to help maintain their energy levels.
“These pandas eat four meals a day, consuming about 12.5kg of bamboo, carrots, apples, and bamboo shoots. They even enjoy around four tons of snacks,” Zhang shared.
According to Zhang, all their bamboo and bamboo shoots are stored at 4°C and are transported by air from Sichuan five days a week. The pandas’ spacious enclosures, spanning up to 5,000 square meters, are located on the southern slope of the Siberian Tiger Park, not far from the Siberian tiger enclosures.
In a previous interview with Xinhua News, Zhang expressed that despite having spent two winters in their enclosures, Meng Meng and Jia Jia remain thrilled to see the snow and maintain healthy appetites.
