A giant panda named Ya Ya, who was sent as an envoy of friendship to the United States 20 years ago, will return to China in the coming days, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the State Forestry and Steppe Administration of China.
By agreement between the Chinese and American sides, the panda will be transported to Shanghai by plane.
I was born at the Beijing Zoo on August 3, 2000, and in April 2003, she was taken to the Memphis Zoo, Tennessee, along with another panda, Le Le, as ambassadors of friendship. The original panda stay in the US was for ten years, but in 2013 it was extended for another ten. In December 2022, the Memphis Zoo announced that it would bring Ya Ya back to China, ending 20 years of collaborative research.
In February, a team of Chinese experts arrived at the Memphis Zoo to check on Ya Ya, and found that she had a skin condition that was causing the animal to lose its fur. However, in general, the panda’s health was considered normal.
China has been using pandas for diplomatic purposes since 1972, when its leader Mao Zedong promised two animals to 37th US President Richard Nixon. In 1984, China entered into an agreement under which animals were sent to foreign zoos for ten years. Pandas from China currently live in 18 countries. In particular, during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China in early April, the director of the French zoo was part of his delegation. After that, the stay of two Chinese pandas Huang Huang and Yuan Zai at the Beauval Zoo was extended until 2027.
Source: Rosbalt
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