SINGAPORE — To mark the first anniversary of the arrival of giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia in Singapore, as well as their birthdays this month, the River Safari Singapore is holding a week of festivities, starting with a “Panda Party” today (Sept 6) graced by former president S R Nathan. The two pandas arrived here from Chengdu exactly a year ago, on Sept 6 last year. Jia Jia turned five on Sept 3, while Kai Kai turns six on Sept 14. In the party this morning, Kai Kai received a cake which was made of yellow bamboos and sulphur bamboos. It was also decorated with carrots, flowers and bamboo shoots. Kai Kai first nibbled on the carrots before he proceeded to tear through the layers of bamboos. Instead of a cake, Jia Jia got a special xylophone made of bamboo, but she was not interested in making music, and just gnawed away at the instrument made by the party organisers. This morning’s party was attended Mr Nathan, the chairman of the CapitaLand Hope Foundation, CapitaLand CEO Lim Ming Yan and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Chairperson Claire Chiang, among other guests. Ms Chiang said that the pandas' personalities have become more “pronounced” in the past year. “Initially quite laid back, Kai Kai has now become more active. Kai Kai is especially active at 5pm so if you’re interested to see him climb, come at that time,” she said. “Jia Jia has been quite bashful for most of the past few months, (but) more recently, she’s has started showing her very playful side ... I’ve seen her play football with a coconut and, boy, she’s an active sportswoman. Jia Jia has even managed to knock down 10 trees.” For those hoping for baby pandas soon, the wait will go on: While pandas usually start mating between five-and-a-half to seven years of age, Kai Kai and Jia Jia have yet to show any signs of interest in setting the night to music, so to speak. River Safari Singapore Assistant Director of Zoology, Mr Ang Cheng Chye, said Jia Jia has yet to show signs of sexual maturity. “There are only two days a year where pandas are most fertile, if you miss it, you’ll have to wait another year,” he said. The River Safari is located in Mandai, next to the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari. The week-long Panda Party runs from tomorrow to Sept 15. Visit http://www.riversafari.com.sg for more details.