Panda fans without pause
The average number of visitors per day to Panda World, where Fu Bao lives with her parents Ai Bao and Le Bao, was about 7,000 in the last week of May, up roughly 20% from the first week of May with its back-to-back public holidays like Labor Day and Children’s Day.
One Everland spokesperson gave this analysis: “With the increase in media stories about pandas at home, and as it has become known that baby panda Fu Bao will have to return to China about a year from now to find a mate, the stream of visitors to see the panda family is non-stop.”
There is something appealing about the way that giant pandas look and move.
Giant pandas in zoos around the world are usually on loan from China, not permanent residents. Pandas born overseas they are sent to China at a certain point to breed, to increase the number of this endangered species.
Fu Bao’s Grandfather
Kang Chul-won, a zookeeper at Everland’s zoo, has become famous for the special bond that he shares with Fu Bao, a bond often shown in videos filmed by Everland staff and visitors. In fact, Kang’s nickname amongst Koreans is “Fu Bao’s Grandfather.” He made a guest appearance on 24 May on a popular Korean light entertainment program to share his memorable experience with Fu Bao and about her future move to China.
Clips of the show were shared on Bilibili, a Chinese video sharing platform, where viewers commented, “Fu Bao looks happy,” “It looks like Everland is doing a good job taking care of pandas,” and also “Her grandfather is a really good zookeeper”
Trending on social media
Reflecting the public interest in Fu Bao, algorithms have helped panda videos become very popular recently on social media. Everland’s official YouTube channel, and the related Talking Zoo PuppaTV channel, which both have many Fu Bao videos, racked up nearly 25 million views of panda clips in May.
Comments from both domestic and international viewers are enthusiastic, such as “Fu Bao seems to love her grandfather,” “Affectionate communication between a grandfather and his granddaughter,” and “Just watching it makes me really happy.”
