As the mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics "Bing Dun Dun" has attracted countless fans under the "bring goods" of athletes from all over the world, giant pandas have once again become a hot topic. In Mexico, giant pandas have always been loved by locals. They are not only a window for local people to understand China, but also important witnesses of the 50-year friendship between China and Mexico.

Flip through the old yellowed newspapers and go back to September 1975. Three years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico, the Chinese government presented the giant pandas "Yingying" and "Babe" to the Mexican government.

"It was a sensational news at the time." Fernando Guar, chief director of Mexico City Zoo, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, "Mexico's Chapultepec Zoo is honored to be their new home, and Mexico has become the only giant panda in Latin America. s country."

Fernando Guar, chief director of the Mexico City Zoo, showed an old photo album from China, which recorded the life scenes of the giant pandas "Yingying" and "Babe" presented by the Chinese government to the Mexican government before they arrived in Mexico.

In the past 46 years, "Tovey"'s sister "Shuangshuang" and daughter "Xinxin" took over the "mantle" and became the most popular "stars" in the zoo. The first thing many children do when they go to Chapultepec Park is Find pandas. In Guar's view, the three generations of giant pandas have witnessed the friendly exchanges between China and Mexico over the past 50 years.

"In the beginning, we knew almost nothing about giant pandas. Today, seven giant pandas have grown up in Mexico, and the longest-lived giant panda outside of China also lives here." Guar believes that this is China and Mexico. The result of close cooperation in the field of animal protection.

In 2005, the zoo partnered with the Environment Department of Mexico City to publish a book that included a large number of popular science articles related to giant pandas and the results of cooperation between China and Mexico in giant panda breeding. In 2017, the Chinese Embassy in Mexico presented the "Friendship Ambassador Contribution Award" to the Chapultepec Zoo on behalf of China.

Guar believes that without long-term cross-border cooperation, it is difficult for them to protect giant pandas and other species well. This is a lesson that animals teach humans - to cross borders and share the world. He believes that animal protection should also be the same, "only through cooperation between relevant institutions around the world".

"We can't do all of this alone." According to Javier Ojeda, a veterinarian who went to China to communicate, "Shuangshuang" and "Xinxin" can now live healthy lives in Mexico because of the friendly cooperation between Mexico and China. results.

In order to protect the health of the two old giant pandas, the Chapultepec Zoo has set up a "Giant Panda Kitchen". Elias Garcia, a breeder who has cared for giant pandas for more than 20 years, is a "full-time chef". According to Garcia, about 70% of the meals of the two giant pandas is bamboo, the "staple food", and the remaining 30% is made of "complementary food" consisting of apples, carrots, vitamins, etc. according to their health conditions.

February 14, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico. Guar invited Chinese friends to celebrate with "Shuangshuang" and "Xinxin" at the Chapultepec Zoo Giant Panda House, because "this is a witness to the development of bilateral relations. One of the best places".Editor/Ma Xue