MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. The Moscow Zoo is engaged in ongoing talks with China, hoping to keep panda Katyusha, the Zoo’s director Svetlana Akulova told reporters.

"We hope there is still a small chance that she will stay with us <...>. We are building a spacious modern enclosure for her, complete with its own feeding areas, private rooms, and comfortable summer outdoor areas. I am sure it will be one of the most beautiful pavilions at the Moscow Zoo. Naturally, we visit China and hold talks with our Chinese colleagues. Of course, we express our wish for Katyusha to live in our zoo, but under the agreement, all pandas in the world belong to China. And there has never been a precedent like this <...>. However, we have asked their permission to at least try <...> and continue negotiations, so that we might have even a small chance that she stays," Akulova said.

She noted that the new enclosure being built for Katyusha could accommodate two pandas and even their cubs. "We are building the enclosure that will have space for her [Katyusha], for her potential mate, and even for their future offspring <...>. We are building it by international standards for a pair of pandas, because if there is a female panda, she will naturally need a male. And after that, they may produce offspring," Akulova explained. Should Katyusha ultimately leave the Moscow Zoo, the new enclosure could instead house Zhui and Ding Ding, the director added.

The giant panda is considered an unofficial symbol of China and is protected by the state. Sending these animals to different countries has become a tradition, which is often called panda diplomacy. The first giant panda cub in Russia's history was born at the Moscow Zoo in late August 2023. Its parents, male Zhui and female Ding Ding, were sent to Moscow in 2019 for 15 years under China's "panda diplomacy" program.

"All their [Zhui’s and Ding Ding’s] cubs are entitled to stay in Russia until they reach four years of age. After that, they become sexually mature and need to find a mate and continue participating in the conservation program. Our Katyusha is very valuable because she is practically the only cub raised totally by her mother - she was fed by the mother’s milk for a long time, and people never approached her," the zoo director explained. According to her, Katyusha has been raised as a wild animal and, in the future, she could also become a good mother.