Giant panda celebrates her 20th birthday in Taiwan: 'Funny and cute'

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Visitors in Taiwan have gathered at the Taipei Zoo to help celebrate a giant panda’s birthday, with politics set aside.

The panda, Yuanyaun, has turned 20 years old. 

It first arrived at the zoo in 2008 from China, according to the Associated Press.

Zookeepers gave the female panda a birthday cake in the shape of the number 20, with different edible decorations. 

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Danielle Shu, a 20-year-old Brazilian student in Taiwan, said she found online clips of the pandas an enjoyable distraction. "I just find it really funny and cute," Shu said, as the AP reported.

Yuanyuan arrived at the zoo with her partner, Tuantuan, who died at age 18 in 2022.

Yuanyuan the panda enjoys some birthday cake for her 20th birthday at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan.  (Chiang Ying-ying)

The panda couple had two female cubs, Yuanzai and Yuanbao, today ages 11 and 4, and both still living at the zoo.

The lifespan of pandas in the wild is about 15 to 20 years — and about 30 years for those in human care, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

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There are as few as 1,864 giant pandas that live in their native habitat, while another 600 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world, according to the zoo. 

Yuanyuan and Tuantuan arrived during a somewhat calm time between China and Taiwan, said the AP. 

Yuanyuan arrived at the zoo with her partner Tuantuan, who died at age 18 in 2022. The couple shared two female cubs. (Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwan began its annual Han Kuang war games, designed to simulate actual combat, as tensions simmer with China, which views Taiwan as its sovereign territory, Reuters reported last month.

Ambassador Barbara K. Bodine, a professor of diplomacy and director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, said pandas are an expression of good standing by the Chinese government, as reflected by the gifting of these animals, according to Georgetown University.

"It is quite difficult for a government to speak directly to the public of another country, especially if it wants to impact public perceptions of itself. Pandas are a fairly effective tool to accomplish this given how much they appeal to animal lovers," Bodine told Georgetown in a May interview.

Yuanyuan was a gift from China to Taiwan in 2008. The giant panda has just turned 20 years old.  (Chiang Ying-ying)

Two pandas arrived at the San Diego Zoo in August, marking the first time pandas have been sent to the U.S. in 21 years.

And the National Zoo in Washington announced in May that China will send two young giant pandas to Washington, months after returning three pandas.

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Beijing presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. in 1972 after President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the country.

Yuanyuan is shown above in Taiwan, a gift from China in 2008. By the end of this year, two pandas are expected to join the National Zoo in D.C. (Chiang Ying-ying)

China's ambassador to the United States Xie Feng told Reuters that the new panda cooperation agreement was "a very good sign" for U.S.-China relations.

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The two pandas are expected to arrive by the end of the year.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.