13th Annual Pandas International Chinese New Year’s Dinner – A Recap

/ Post by Pandas International

Each year, Pandas International hosts a Chinese New Year’s Dinner to raise funding and awareness for pandas, celebrate our supporters, and socialize with our friends. We want to thank everyone who joined us this year for your continued support of PI. We appreciate each and every one of you!

Over 200 guests joined us at the Palace Restaurant in Denver, CO to share in this wonderful evening. Our cocktail hour was festive, filled with laughter and the sharing of stories with friends old and new. Guests were able to bid on fabulous silent auction gifts including absolutely stunning panda artwork donated by some of our favorite artists.

Our cocktail hour was followed by a fabulous 5-course meal and a keynote speech by Pandas International Director Suzanne Braden.  Suzanne stressed the importance of our mission to ensure the preservation and propagation of the endangered Giant Panda – even in the face of intense scrutiny and antagonism. She explained the role that PI plays in Panda preservation; highlighting the medical supply donations, bamboo reforestation projects, and milk and food supplies that PI provides directly to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Bifengxia and the Wolong Panda Reserve and Center for Disease Control. Suzanne then expanded upon the reintroduction program and the steps that the centers are taking to ensure that pandas are not only preserved in captivity but are reintroduced to the wild.

To close out her speech, Suzanne talked in detail about our goal at PI this year – to provide enrichment for captive pandas in 117 enclosures at the Bifengxia and Wolong Reserves. Enrichment activities (the topic of our next two blog posts) are vital to improving and/or maintaining the pandas’ physical and psychological health.

The evening was capped off with a phenomenal performance by local lion dancers who captivated guests with their acrobatics and beautiful costumes.

Again, a sincere “Thank You” to all of our supporters for a fabulous evening!