2023: Japan Bids Teary Farewell To Pandas Sent To Reserve In China

TOKYO, Japan — Japanese panda fans wept as their idols Xiang Xiang, “super papa” Eimei, and his twin daughters were flown to China on Tuesday to swap their zoo home for a protected facility in Sichuan province.

Hundreds of people waited outside Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, taking photos, wiping their tears with handkerchiefs, and waving at a white truck carrying Xiang Xiang as it drove slowly past them on its way to the airport. Others flocked to Narita International Airport to say their final goodbyes as Xiang Xiang’s plane took off.

On Sunday, the final public screening of Xiang Xiang was limited to 2,600 lucky people who won their tickets in an extremely competitive lottery with over 500,000 applicants.

On the flight to Chengdu, Xiang Xiang was escorted by two zoo employees. The Ueno Zoo tweeted that she was in good health and relaxed during her departure procedures at the airport, where she ate her favorite snacks of bamboo shoots and apples.

Yutaka Fukuda, director of the Ueno Zoo, said he would miss her because he has watched her grow since her birth in 2017. “I want to thank her for bringing joy to so many people,” he said. “I hope that after she safely completes her journey, she will contribute to panda conservation research.”

The term “celebration” refers to the act of celebrating a birthday.

China sends pandas to other countries as a gesture of goodwill but retains ownership of the animals and any cubs they produce. The animals are native to southwestern China and are the country’s unofficial mascot.

Three more pandas appeared in front of the public for the last time on Tuesday at the Adventure World zoo in the central Japanese coastal town of Shirahama, one day before they returned to China. They are Eimei, an elderly male sent from China in 1994 and has since fathered 16 cubs, earning him the moniker “super papa,” and two of his Japanese-born daughters, Ouhin and Touhin.

The term “reproductive technology” refers to using technology to help people. They were uninterested in males at the Japanese zoo. Four other female pandas will remain, and the park is looking for a male panda to be sent from China.

Japanese people cry as they bid farewell to the popular panda.

Visitors could leave messages for their favorite pandas by signing them. “Thank you, Eimei, and stay healthy and long!” one of them exclaimed. Local media carried their biographies and histories and adorable photos of them as children.

Despite strained political ties between Japan and China, pandas, according to Japanese fans, have connected people in both countries and contributed to friendship. The Chinese Embassy described them as “the cutest messengers of friendship” who have united people’s hearts in both countries and expressed hope that the Japanese would continue to follow their progress after they returned to China.

Pandas, which infrequently reproduce in the wild and feed on bamboo, are among the world’s most endangered species. There are approximately 1,800 pandas in the wild, with another 500 in zoos or reserves, mostly in Sichuan.

SOURCE – (AP)