Giant pandas, Fu Wa, Feng Yi return safely to China, begin one-month quarantine

Feng Yi (pic) and Fu Wa have arrived at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) on Sunday, May 18, 2025 to begin their one-month quarantine. Photo: CCRC General Panda Centre/Weibo

PETALING JAYA: Giant pandas Fu Wa and Feng Yi have arrived safely at the Ya’an base of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), following their departure from Malaysia after more than a decade abroad.

The pair touched down at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at approximately 3pm on Sunday (May 18) aboard SF Airlines cargo flight O3292, after a flight lasting over four hours.

Later that evening, at around 7:10pm, they were transported to the Ya’an base under the care of experts from both China and Malaysia. The pandas are now undergoing a mandatory quarantine period of at least one month.

The two pandas arrived in Malaysia on May 21, 2014 under China’s panda loan programme, a symbol of goodwill marking 40 years of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China.

Once settled at Zoo Negara, they were renamed - Fu Wa became Xing Xing (‘prosperity’) and Feng Yi became Liang Liang (‘pretty’).

As Malaysia’s first resident giant pandas, they quickly became beloved figures, playing a major role in deepening public interest in conservation and strengthening cultural ties between the two nations.

In 2024, a transitional agreement extended the original 10-year panda loan, initially set to end in May 2024, by one year, allowing the pandas to remain in Malaysia until May 2025.

Over their 11-year stay, Fu Wa and Feng Yi produced three cubs: Nuan Nuan, Yi Yi, and Sheng Yi. All three have since been repatriated to China, with their health reported to be in good condition.

In preparation for the pandas’ return, the CCRCGP dispatched a veterinary specialist to Malaysia to assist with panda care and behavioural training, and to coordinate with Malaysian caretakers on health evaluations and travel logistics.

The pandas were accompanied on their journey by personnel from both countries.

Zoo Negara deputy president Datuk Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana said panda caretaker Mohd Saiffullah Md Yusuf accompanied the pandas to China and would remain there for several days to help them settle in.

The Ya’an base had prepared extensively for the arrival, ensuring quarantine facilities, disinfection procedures, food supplies, and healthcare plans were in place. Officials said every effort is being made to help the pandas adapt to their new environment, with plans for them to be reintroduced to the public once the quarantine period is complete.

With the return of Fu Wa and Feng Yi to China, the panda pair have fulfilled their 10-year role as symbolic ambassadors of Malaysia–China relations. Their departure, along with their three cubs, left many Malaysian panda fans feeling emotional, as they bid a fond and heartfelt farewell to the beloved family of five, sending them off with blessings and well wishes.

However, Malaysia will continue its collaboration with China under a new agreement signed on April 16 during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia.

Under the agreement, Malaysia will receive a new pair of giant pandas for a 10-year period from 2025 to 2035.