An upgraded habitat for a national treasure

Giant pandas at Shanghai Zoo will have a better living environment soon as the expansion project for their pavilion is slated for completion in mid-April.

The zoo started to plan for the renovation project as early as in September. When completed, the new pavilion will have a 300-square-meter indoor space and feature a new monitoring room, a medical treatment room, a weighing room and a feeding room for the animal. The space of the animal cages will be increased to 60 sq m.

The 600-sq-m outdoor space of the pavilion is also being renovated.

The zoo currently houses Ya'er, a 5-year-old male panda, after his cousin Xing'er was sent back to the national reserve in Southwest China's Sichuan province earlier this year.

The zoo said that the renovation project will not have an impact on Ya'er which still lives in the pavilion.