TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Zoo will hold three birthday celebrations between June and August for panda mother Yuan Yuan and her two daughters, Yuan Bao and Yuan Zai, CNA reported.

The zoo said that it will prepare specially made birthday cakes for the pandas. For Yuan Yuan's 20th birthday last year, her cake featured an ice base topped with sugarcane, pineapple, kiwi, and grapes. The zoo also arranged fruits and bamboo shoots to form the number 20.

On each panda's birthday, the zoo will host a "vet chat" for the first time. These activities will feature the pandas' veterinarians, who will share insights into the panda care process. Topics will include nutrition management, behavior observation, as well as disease diagnosis and treatment.

The zoo said that each chat session will be one hour long and limited to 50 participants. The fee is NT$1,500 (US$46) per person, and includes a panda-themed gift pack.

Starting June 20, the zoo will launch an online donation campaign in support of its pandas. Participants will have a chance to receive a panda-themed night light. In addition, the zoo will release limited-edition cards featuring its pandas, each including a short story about them.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan arrived at the zoo in 2008 and later gave birth to Yuan Zai in 2013 and Yuan Bao in 2020. However, Tuan Tuan died of a brain tumor in November 2022, leaving the zoo with three pandas.

The zoo said that it will be temporarily closed to the public from Wednesday through June 27. During this time, it will upgrade animal facilities, clean the exteriors of zoo buildings, repairing visitor amenities, and adding a new photo spot at the koala house.

The zoo will also use the closure period to provide staff with training programs, such as diver certification, snake safety drills, and emergency response exercises.