Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang thanked the Environment and Forestry Ministry and Taman Safari Indonesia for collaborating with Beijing to protect and conserve the iconic animal, known for its distinctive black-and-white markings.

The rare ursine species, upgraded to “vulnerable” from “endangered” in 2017 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the giant panda is China’s national treasure.

Kang said that male giant panda Cai Tao and female panda Hu Chun, which arrived at the park five years ago, were China’s “living fossil” and were widely regarded ambassadors of friendship for China.

“Cai Tao and Hu Chun have been growing healthily and living happily in Indonesia. They have brought joy to [the] Indonesian people,” the ambassador said. “I express my gratitude for the Environment and Forestry Ministry and Taman Safari Indonesia.”

The bilateral cooperation in conserving the giant panda started with the Sept. 28, 2017 arrival of the panda “couple” in Jakarta, on lease for a 10-year joint research program. The program made Indonesia only the 16th country in the world to be granted approval to conserve the rare species.

Kang noted that the two pandas had traveled a great distance to the country, bringing with them the friendship of the Chinese people for the Indonesian people.

“The pandas have sparked new energy to Indonesia and China’s bilateral relationship, and have pushed deeper collaboration between the two countries in the economic, social, cultural and ecology sectors,” he said.

The Chinese government has been making stringent efforts to protect the giant panda, issuing conservation regulations and effectively protecting and expanding the animal’s natural habitat.

As of today, roughly 2,500 giant pandas exist in the wild, as well as at nature reserves and zoos across the world.

The environment ministry’s biodiversity and genetic resources conservation director, Indra Explotasia, said Indonesia had learned a lot from China’s significant conservation achievements in protecting the giant panda over the past five years.

“We are continuing to learn to better protect and conserve Indonesia’s endemic animals. We are striving to prove that we can successfully breed the country’s endemic animals and release them into their natural habitats,” she added. (nal)