Are There Giant Pandas In Bali, Indonesia? (Detailed Guide)

If you’re traveling to Bali in Indonesia, you may be looking for a zoo to find giant pandas. But can you really see them there?

Quick answer – No. There aren’t any Giant Pandas in Bali. Bali is an island that is located eastward of Indonesia. 

It is an island surrounded by coral reefs. Giant pandas cannot get into the island of Bali without crossing the vast sea. They can swim fine but the ocean is too large for them.

Now that you know you cannot find a single Panda in Bali, let us take a look at the reasons.

Table of Contents

• Why Giant Pandas Are Not In Bali (Indonesia)?
  • 1. Panda’s Eating Habit 
  • 2. Bali Is An Island 
  • 3. The Climate of Bali 
  • 4. The Terrain of Bali 
• Where to Find Giant Pandas (9 Alternatives)
  • 1. Taman Safari Park (Indonesia)
  • 2. Zoo Negara (Malaysia) 
  • 3. River Wonders (Singapore) 
  • 4. The Giant Panda Research & Breeding Center (Chengdu, China) 
  • 5. Dujiangyan Panda Base (Dujiangyan, China)
  • 6. Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, Ya’an, (Sichuan, China)
  • 7. Ocean Park (Hong Kong) 
  • 8. Minshan Mountains
  • 9. Qinling Mountains
• Recap:

Why Giant Pandas Are Not In Bali (Indonesia)?

There are 5 major reasons why there are no Giant Pandas in Bali.

1. Panda’s Eating Habit

Pandas mainly survive on bamboo. Their diet consists of 99% of bamboo. In fact, these giant bears can eat 12-15 kg a day of bamboo roots, shoots, and leaves.

They prefer bamboo shoots in their diet followed by young leaves.  Unlike China, Bali’s flora is very different from its natural habitat.

Bali does have its own bamboo forest but these forests are on the flatlands mostly. Bamboo forests in the lowlands are not preferable.

2. Bali Is An Island

Since Bali is an island, it is difficult for wild pandas to go there. Pandas live in deep bamboo mountains and Bali has none.

Bali is a very popular tourist spot famous for its natural scenery. Tourists come here throughout the year. 

But pandas don’t like to be bothered. They like to be alone most of the time so they avoid any kind of human interaction.

Pandas cannot come to Bali as the distance is huge. 

The provinces where they are found and Bali are far from each other. Wild Pandas are unable to travel this wide space by themselves while zoo Pandas can be transported.

3. The Climate of Bali

Here comes our next point, the climate of Bali is not preferable to the pandas. Bali is a coastal island and it is too humid for the pandas. 

Yes, they do like humid weather but coastal humidity is not ideal for them.

As a coastal area, Bali does not have a proper winter season and it stays warm all year. It is one of the characteristics of a coastal area to have temperate weather season after season.

The bears prefer wet and cold weather where the temperature is always within 68°F (20 °C) Their habitat is always coated with a mist all year round.

Giant Pandas cannot hibernate like other animals. They do not get enough nutrition from their diet. That is why they need warm winters and cool summers.

4. The Terrain of Bali

Bali is very close to the sea level as it is a coastal area. It has mostly mountain extensions from Java, the most popular being Bali Peak. But most of these mountains are active volcanoes.

The panda is a species that does not like to walk. Interestingly, they love to roll around. Bali is full of mountains. But these mountains are inhabitable to these creatures. They do not like to live in lowland areas.  

Pandas live in mountains that are 2,600 – 3,500 meters above sea level that are always covered in fog. These mountains should also be covered in bamboo forests.

They like a little steep mountain floor. The fact that it’s surrounded by coral reefs adds to the list of disadvantages too. 

Pandas like to move in the vast valleys and mountain slopes to hide. They do not like to fight. This is why they like to stay hidden most of the time.

Where to Find Giant Pandas (9 Alternatives)

You can find giant pandas in many zoos. These zoos care for and protect Pandas in specially made habitats. Some of the zoos near Bali are: 

1. Taman Safari Park (Indonesia)

The safari park in Bogor is built 1,800 ft above sea level for the pandas. It is located on the slope of Mount Pangrango. The safari is home to Ciao Tao and Hu Chun. 

These pandas arrived in Indonesia in 2017 with a 10-year breeding contract. They are yet to expect cubs. The safari officials stated that they are trying their best for the Pandas to get cubs. 

2. Zoo Negara (Malaysia) 

This is the national zoo of the country. It is located in Jalan Taman Zooview, Taman Zooview, 68000 Kuala Lumpur. Two Giant Pandas Liang Liang and Xing Xing were gifted to the government by China. 

These two Pandas have been here since 2014. They are under the Giant Panda International Conservation Cooperation Agreement Programme. They have already bred and have three cubs. Under this program, the zoo is required to send the cubs back to China once they are four years old. 

3. River Wonders (Singapore) 

This is the largest Giant Panda exhibit in Southeast Asia. It recently welcomed a Panda cub named Le Le. The names of the parents are Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

Their exhibit is climate controlled and they are allowed to roam around the spacious outdoor arena. Different types of bamboo like the Sulphur, Thai, and Buddha belly are grown especially for them.

4. The Giant Panda Research & Breeding Center (Chengdu, China) 

Here we can find cute baby Pandas playing. Panda lovers can also book a slot beforehand to cuddle with them. 

5. Dujiangyan Panda Base (Dujiangyan, China)

It has Panda volunteer programs. This program allows one to volunteer for their favorite animal. This is known as Panda valley. 

6. Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, Ya’an, (Sichuan, China)

This is popular because of its overseas Panda population. This base is used for breeding, raising, and rescuing these adorable creatures. The pandas are here kept in a controlled natural environment. 

7. Ocean Park (Hong Kong) 

It has two panda couples. You can book a stand in the Panda keeper slot. This slot allows you for some time to be very close to the Pandas.

Wild giant pandas are also found in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, in six different mountain ranges. These areas are spread across more or less 13,000 square km.

There are two main mountain ranges where we can find Pandas. These mountains are heavily guarded. The government made numerous reserves for them. 

8. Minshan Mountains

This mountain is spread through the provinces of Sichuan and Gansu. 44% of the Pandas of the world are found here. A total of 27 reserves have been established to cope with the Panda population.

Giant pandas here are found at a density of 4.9 Pandas per 100 km2. It also contains more or less 76.6% of its population. 

Pingu County has the highest number of Pandas in the wild. 

9. Qinling Mountains

It is located in Shaanxi Province and works as a shield to south China. There are quite a few reserves here that are home to hundreds of Pandas.

Among these provinces, Wolong (130 km, 80 mi, from Chengdu) and Foping are the two major giant panda protection reserves.

182 km² of Panda habitat is found in the Foping Nature Reserve. In Guanyinshan Nature Reserve 49 km² of their habitat is seen. 

Recap:

Visiting Bali just to see giant pandas might disappoint you. 

Bali surely has other adorable creatures and breathtaking scenery of its own. But you cannot find this cute bear anywhere around there.

If you really want to see Giant Pandas, you need to visit one of the countries having pandas in their zoos.

For that, read our article What Zoos Have Giant Pandas!