The Moscow Zoo has released a video of a male giant panda named Zhui opening New Year’s presents.
Zhui, who recently became a father, excitedly inspected a shiny bundle decorated with mandarin oranges before moving on to another gift in the shape of a festive tree while munching on bamboo shoots.
Zhui is seven years old, and his partner Dindin is six. They arrived in Moscow from China in 2019 to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the country.
Dindin and Zhui became parents to a female cub in August 2023, the first panda ever that was born in Russia.
Baby pandas traditionally receive their names when they turn 100 days old. In early December, the Moscow Zoo asked Russians to choose a name for the cub, with over 250,000 people taking part in the vote.
All pandas born either in captivity or in the wild are the property of China and can only be leased rather than given. The practice of sending pandas to other countries – known as ‘panda diplomacy’ – dates back to 1941.
Zhui and Dindin are set to return home to China once their 15-year “business trip” ends.