Two pandas at a zoo in central France are to return to China after the female was diagnosed with kidney failure, drawing hundreds of visitors for a final goodbye.
Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi arrived at the Beauval Zoo in 2012 as part of China’s “panda diplomacy” programme, which sees the black-and-white bears dispatched across the globe as soft-power ambassadors.
The two pandas, both 17, were meant to stay in France until January 2027, but returned to China yesterday to live out their retirement at the Chengdu panda sanctuary, leaving behind some devoted fans.
More than 200 well-wishers braved a cold and rainy Sunday to say “bon voyage”.
The pair produced three cubs while in France – the first pandas to do so in the country – and became star attractions at the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher.
The decision to send them back to China came after Huan Huan was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease – a common condition in bears around her age, according to zoo director Rodolphe Delord.
The move came with “a twinge of sadness”, Delord said.
But the twins born in 2021 are expected to remain at Beauval for now, said Delord, adding he hopes to extend the zoo’s partnership with China beyond 2027.
The eldest of the offspring, Yuan Meng, left France for his ancestral China in 2023. — AFP
