Zoos in Guangzhou and Shanghai marked the Mid-Autumn Festival by serving specially made "mooncakes" to giant pandas, polar bears, and penguins, offering a festive treat tailored to each animal's diet.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese calendar, falls on Monday this year. As one of China's most important traditional holidays, it is a joyous time when family members appreciate the full moon together and share mooncakes, a traditional pastry, to mark the harvest season and an occasion of family reunion.
On Friday, three days ahead of the festival, giant panda cub Mei Zhu savored the delicious mooncake at the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province. Delighted by the treat, she lay down mid-meal and kept munching.
"The red ones are 'mooncakes' made from carrots and the white ones are bamboo shoot mooncakes," said Chen Liangjin, a breeder at Chimelong Safari Park.
After the meal, Mei Zhu bonded with her mother Meng Meng. Now one year and three months old, the cub is growing more playful and energetic.
Mei Zhu is the eldest of the world's only surviving giant panda triplets. Under the meticulous care of her mother and the keepers, she has grown from an infant weighing only 178 grams at birth to a healthy baby weighing over 70 pounds.
At an ocean park in Shanghai's Lingang New Area, a polar bear and several penguins enjoyed special Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes on Monday. The polar bear's mooncake was made with carrots, beef, and fresh vegetables, while the penguins received prawn-based mooncakes to suit their distinct dietary preferences.
"Polar bears usually eat some vegetables and apples, but penguins love to eat prawns. So we made a mooncake with prawns, which they love to eat the most," said Jin Qiaobo, a breeder.
The zoo invited children to make mooncakes for the animals under the guidance of the keepers and their parents, providing tourists with special festival experiences.
Animals in Guangzhou, Shanghai zoos enjoy customized mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival
