Pandas in Qatar? Meet the Hongkonger helping Chinese national treasures thrive
Giant pandas Suhail and Thuraya live in one of world’s largest air-conditioned enclosures under care of former Ocean Park worker Cissy Kou
Despite the scorching heat, giant pandas Suhail and Thuraya have found a comfortable home in Qatar, thanks in part to the care of a Hongkonger who has brought her Ocean Park skills and experience to the Gulf country.
Cissy Kou Wing-sze became the curator at Qatar Panda House in 2022, where she now looks after the bears also known as Jing Jing and Si Hai, one of whom is a descendant of Ocean Park’s late panda Jia Jia.
“One day I wanted to look up the bloodline of Si Hai, and to my surprise, she is actually the great-granddaughter of Jia Jia, whom I cared for many years ago,” the 48-year-old said. “I teared up when I learned about it.”
Suhail and Thuraya – now six and five years old, equivalent to 18 and 15 human years respectively – were born in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province and gifted by China in October 2022 to commemorate the hosting of the Fifa World Cup.
They were the first pair of pandas in the Middle East.