Dublin Zoo Giant Pandas at Dublin 1986

[Shirokuma]

Giant pandas were on display for a while at Dublin Zoo in 1986.

Pictures look like they used the current gorilla enclosure for the pandas.

Can anyone confirm if this is the case and what happened to the gorillas at the time?

Many thanks.

 

[Baldur]

Did Dublin actually have Pandas on one of these temporary loans, while they existed?

I remember a discussion on which zoos had them on temporary loans having been raised a few times, both here and on the Yahoo groups Zoo Historians and Zoo Biology, but I don't recall the name of Dublin Zoo ever coming up in them.

Not that I'm questioning you of course...

 

[bongorob]

Ping Ping and Ming Ming

History - www.giantpandazoo.com

 

[Shirokuma]

According to 'Dublin Zoo: An Illustrated History' they arrived on 'a goodwill visit from China'. They arrived on 17th June 1986 and stayed for 100 days. 350,000 people came to see them and the author notes that it was:

an occasion for celebration in bleak times as the country was in economic gloom with unemployment and emmigration rising , and debates about abortion and divorce causing social conflict.

 

[snowleopard]

According to 'Dublin Zoo: An Illustrated History' they arrived on 'a goodwill visit from China'. They arrived on 17th June 1986 and stayed for 100 days. 350,000 people came to see them and the author notes that it was:

You are absolutely correct, and the Dublin Zoo history book is outstanding!