Baby Panda Rio Officially Introduced to the Public at Bogor Safari Park

BOGOR - The Bogor Indonesia Safari Park (TSI) officially introduced a giant panda baby named Satrio Wiratama to the public at the Panda Palace, Cisarua, Bogor Regency, Tuesday, June 9. Starting today, the panda baby, who is familiarly called Rio, can be seen directly by visitors.

Rio's arrival is a historic moment as he is the first giant panda born in Indonesia and one of the few panda babies born outside of China in recent years.

When he first appeared in front of the public, Rio immediately caught the attention of visitors. In addition to his active and adorable behavior, his body seemed to have a pink tinge that was still visible on some parts of his skin.

Vice President of Life Science at Taman Safari Indonesia, Bongot Huaso Mulia, explained that the pink color is a natural condition that comes from the normal microflora of the mother's saliva, Hu Chun.

"This pink color is natural from the normal microflora of the panda mother's saliva. This proves that the panda mother not only protects in terms of physical, but when licking her child, she also protects the baby's skin from bacteria. As Rio becomes more independent and is rarely licked, this pink color will eventually fade on its own," said Bongot.

Rio was born on November 27, 2025, from giant panda couple Cai Tao and Hu Chun who have been living in the Bogor Safari Park since 2017 through a conservation cooperation program between Indonesia and China.

According to Bongot, Rio's birth is proof of the success of the giant panda breeding program carried out through artificial insemination involving a team of experts from within and outside the country.

"The purpose of this breeding is to lower the descendants of Cai Tao and Hu Chun, so that both have representative genetics in the form of new offspring," he said.

Towards the age of seven months, Rio's development is considered very good. His motor skills continue to improve and now he is actively moving using all four legs, rolling over, and maintaining his body balance better.

"You can see that Rio's muscles are stronger, he can use his four legs better, maintain the balance of his head, and has been actively rolling around. His posture is longer and his tail is getting smaller," said Bongot.

However, Rio still relies on his mother's milk as the main source of nutrition. He has just started nibbling on bamboo shoots as part of the process of introducing solid food.

Meanwhile, the founder of Taman Safari Indonesia, Jansen Manansang, said the decision to introduce Rio to the public was only made after all aspects of the animal's health and welfare were ensured to meet international standards.

According to him, the monitoring process not only focuses on Rio's physical condition, but also the natural relationship between mother and child that must be formed properly before being introduced to the public.

"We follow very strict regulations on animal health and welfare. Not only physical health, but also how the bond between mother and child is built naturally without coercion," said Jansen.

Satrio Wiratama's name was given directly by President Prabowo Subianto. Rio's presence is not only a symbol of the success of rare animal conservation, but also strengthens Indonesia's cooperation with China in the field of giant panda conservation.

The Cultural Attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, Wang Siping, said the giant panda is a symbol of friendship between countries as well as an icon of world conservation.

"The presence of giant pandas is not only a symbol of efforts to conserve rare animals, but also reflects the close friendship between Indonesia and China that continues to grow over time," said Wang Siping.