VIDEO A zoo in Japan dresses up its keepers as panda bears and lets visitors feed them in cages
Visitors to Japan's Adventure World zoo feeding one of the keepers, PHOTO: ABCTVnews screenshot
The staff of a zoo in Japan is going to great lengths to fill the void left by the departure of some of its animals after the institution's last four pandas were forced to return to China, reports People magazine.
In honor of the lost bears, employees at the Adventure World zoo and amusement park in Wakayama, south of Osaka, are wearing hats with panda faces and are being fed by zoo visitors, according to new reports published by the British newspaper The Times and the South China Morning Post.
The park, which was forced to return its last four pandas to China last summer, offers visitors the chance to join the “Panda Love Club” for 8,000 yen ($50).
Participants will be allowed to dress up as animal caretakers and “experience a program that mimics real-life animal care work, such as preparing food, observing behavior, completing daily reports and checking the safety of the exercise area,” Adventure World says.
The 90-minute session also allows visitors to feed caged keepers, who are dressed as pandas, with pieces of apple.
Japan remains without a panda bear after more than half a century
“This special attraction will allow visitors to learn about the relationship between pandas and care staff and experience the significance of passing the lives of giant pandas into the future,” Adventure World added.
It has been involved in protecting and breeding giant pandas in both Japan and China for more than 30 years, according to its website. The start of the long-term breeding program at Adventure World in 1994 was also the first of its kind outside of China.
Since then, these charismatic animals have served as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, and the Japanese population has developed a special affection for them.
But January 2026 will mark the first month since 1972 that Japan will be without a panda, after the island nation's last two pandas – twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo – are due to be returned to China by early February.
Lottery to see panda bears in Japan
China decided not to extend their loan agreement amid major diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing last November.
Immediately after the news, thousands of fans stormed Tokyo's Ueno Zoo to see them one last time, many of them saying goodbye to the twins with tears in their eyes.
Anticipating a massive influx of visitors until Jan. 25, the last day Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei can be seen, Ueno Zoo on Tuesday began limiting viewing of the panda pavilion to about a minute and will introduce online reservations starting next week.
During the last 12 days, a lottery will be held to select the lucky visitors.
China, in what has been called “panda diplomacy,” has a long history of lending pandas to reward its allies, and has sometimes demanded their return to express its displeasure. Originally from China, giant pandas usually return home after the loan agreement is over – and foreign-born cubs are no exception.
