Katyusha, Russia-born panda, enjoys her birthday cake

Katyusha, Russia's first locally born giant panda, enjoys a treat behind her enclosure during a media event celebrating her second birthday at the Moscow Zoo on Sunday, August 24, 2025.

Born to Ding Ding and Ru Yi – a pair of pandas on loan from China – she has become the first-ever giant panda born in Russia.

Russia's first-ever locally born giant panda, named Katyusha, tastes a treat behind the glass fence of an enclosure during a media event marking her second birthday, at the Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, August 24, 2025.Credit: Reuters Photo

On her second birthday, she was gifted a special cake made of fruits, ice, and bamboo, which she ate in front of crowds of Moscow Zoo visitors taking pictures of her.

Read: Finnish zoo forced to send pandas back to China due to 'rising care costs'

Photo Credits: Reuters

Svetlana Akulova, director of the Moscow Zoo, praised Katyusha’s development, adding that she is not just a symbol of Russian-Chinese friendship but also an important part of the scientific program to study giant pandas.