Jakarta (ANTARA) -
The birth of a giant panda at Taman Safari Indonesia marks an important achievement in Indonesia’s role in endangered species conservation and reflects strong diplomatic ties with China, according to Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni.
"This panda represents a mega-biodiversity treasure that we possess. The birth of this panda is not only the birth of an incredibly important animal on earth, but also symbolizes the strength of diplomacy between Indonesia and China," he remarked at Taman Safari in Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday.
Antoni expressed appreciation for the birth of a panda cub to Hu Chun and Cai Tao on November 27, 2025. The pair is part of a breeding loan cooperation between Indonesia and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), in place since their arrival in Indonesia in 2017.
"President Prabowo named the panda Satrio Wiratama, which means a brave and virtuous knight. It's a good name, very meaningful," the minister continued.
According to him, Satrio Wiratama's birth is strategically significant, as this successful birth was inseparable from the implementation of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) through a cross-national scientific collaboration involving Taman Safari Indonesia, CCRCGP China, Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) Germany, and IPB University.
Antoni then explained that the arrival process of the pandas to the birth of the cub in Indonesia was not a short one, but spanned three Indonesian presidents.
The birth of the giant panda cub is expected to strengthen international cooperation and a shared commitment to preserving global biodiversity.
"The effort to bring these two pandas was made during the presidency of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), and then received in 2017 by President Joko Widodo, and finally Rio (Satrio) was born during the presidency of President Prabowo Subianto," he pointed out.
The announcement of the birth of the giant panda cub was also attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, Wang Lu Tong; the founders of Taman Safari Indonesia Jansen Manansang and Frans Manansang; and Director of Taman Safari Indonesia Aswin Samampau.
