Hu Min
Shanghai Wild Animal Park in the Pudong New Area will host a series of festive activities during the seven-day National Day holiday, featuring giant panda birthday celebrations, debut appearances of newborn animal cubs, extended night hours and immersive light shows.
Blending wildlife viewing, interactive experiences and environmental education, the holiday lineup invites visitors to explore urban biodiversity.
Three Shanghai-born giant pandas, Xue Bao, Kang Kang and Qian Jin will mark their birthdays this month. Zoo keepers will host a collective birthday celebration on October 4, preparing custom fruit-and-vegetable cakes, enriched habitats and handmade festive gifts tailored to each panda's personality.
"Every giant panda has unique traits. We design exclusive birthday surprises based on their preferences," zookeepers said.
Several baby animals born this year will greet the public for the first time during the holiday season. A South American sea lion pup, born in January, will appear at the park's sea lion bay. Though nearly equal in size to an adult, the young sea lion still nurses primarily while learning survival skills. Active and playful, the pup alternates between resting on rocky shores and swimming freely.
A nearly two-month-old baby orangutan, born in August, will make unscheduled daily appearances throughout the holiday. The infant male orangutan remains breastfed and often nestles in mother's arms, curiously observing visitors and surroundings.
To accommodate growing numbers of international guests, the park has upgraded multilingual signage and on-site foreign-language services.
The park has extended opening hours from 9am to 9pm, offering all-day and nighttime safari experiences. Tourists aboard exclusive shuttle vehicles can explore predator habitats after dark to witness wild animal night behaviors. The pedestrian zone allows close encounters with gentle animals including giant pandas, elephants and capybaras.
An upgraded boat tour delivers immersive waterway exploration, featuring rare species such as red kangaroos, golden snub-nosed monkeys and black-capped capuchins. After sunset, roaming interactive performances will be staged with immersive light shows. The park's themed light installations transform the site into a fairy-tale forest.
