Panda stars host Tokyo zoo celebration

Tokyo (CNS) -- Panda couple Lili and Zhenzhen in the Ueno Zoo of Tokyo will "host" a series of activities celebrating the 130th founding anniversary of the zoo, as well as marking the 40th year since panda ambassadors were first dispatched to Japan.

The zoo takes pride in being one of the first set of zoos to house panda residents, and views pandas as a connection between China, Japan and their peoples. Its director Doi Toshimitsu is an advocate for more attention being paid to the panda's survival crisis.

The zoo has designated October 28 "panda day," the date when Lanlan and Kangkang were sent to Ueno as a gift commemorating the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Japanese pupils are offered the opportunity to become a "Ueno Panda Ambassador." Anyone with affection for the adorable pair can make online visits through the zoo's homepage to check on their latest activities captured on video at their pavilion.

And spring, the season of love, is underway, so young pandas do what is natural at this time of year and Ueno is contentedly awaiting her fourth panda baby this June.

Altogether eight pandas have made the zoo home so far. Each time a new panda couple settles down, the zoo prepares for a boom in visitors and soaring profits.

The first public appearance of Lanlan and Kangkang was attended by 56,000 visitors, who were only honored with a 30 second glimpse each. Local media described it as "a night's wait for a second's glance." In the following two years, the historic biennial visit record was reset at 7.64 million.

Last year when Lili and Zhenzhen made their debut after the March 11 catastrophe, the zoo clocked four million visits and record ticket sales of about 20 billion yen (about US$ 239.8 million).