Twin pandas Rui Bao and Hui Bao, which leave for China in December, will be open to visitors at Everland through Dec. 11.
Everland, the resort division of Samsung C&T, said on the 19th that the two pandas will undergo pre-departure quarantine for one month starting Nov. 13 at the Panda Second House. The transfer to China is scheduled for the third week of December.
Unlike Fu Bao, which was kept out of public view during quarantine before leaving for China, Rui Bao and Hui Bao will be able to meet the public, on a limited basis, in an indoor enclosure. The Panda Second House, built last year, is an independent facility sealed off from the outside and meets quarantine standards. Viewing hours and arrangements will be adjusted depending on the pandas' health and the state of transfer preparations.
Everland will hold a "Zookeeper Talk Concert" next month, where keepers will share previously unreleased footage of the pandas growing up and behind-the-scenes stories of raising them. A photo and short-form video contest also runs through the 21st. The specific date and location of the transfer to China will be decided after considering temperatures and conditions on the ground.
Rui Bao and Hui Bao, born July 7, 2023, are South Korea's first twin panda sisters and the younger siblings of Fu Bao. They weighed 180 grams and 140 grams at birth and now weigh about 90 kilograms each.