Photos | Japanese bid tearful farewell as pandas 'Li Li' and 'Zhen Zhen' return to China
According to foreign media reports, the giant pandas "Li Li" and "Zhen Zhen" embarked on their journey back to China early this morning (Sept. 29).
Many Japanese gathered outside the zoo and followed the truck carrying the pandas to the airport, bidding farewell with tears. Zoo staff were also visibly emotional and tearful during the departure.
The Ueno Zoo's director, expressed a sense of loneliness with the departure of "Li Li" and "Zhen Zhen," and gratitude for the joy they brought to visitors over the years. He mentioned that the pandas were calm as they entered their transport crates, and that the zoo had prepared water, apples, and carrots for their journey, hoping for a peaceful life for them in their homeland.
"Li Li" and "Zhen Zhen" have been at Ueno Zoo since Feb. 2011 for breeding research purposes and are the parents of "Xiang Xiang," who has also returned to China, and the twin pandas "Xiao Xiao" and "Lei Lei."
Due to their recent health issues with hypertension, a decision was made by both Chinese and Japanese authorities to repatriate them while they were still fit to travel for treatment. Upon arrival in Sichuan, they will be immediately taken to the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda.
The report also mentioned that their final day on display in Japan was the previous day (Sept. 28), attracting large crowds of visitors and locals for a final farewell. Before the zoo opened, over 2,000 people had lined up, waiting for more than an hour, with some arriving at midnight to secure their spot.
In the final 30-minute viewing window, to prevent chaos inside the panda enclosure, the zoo resorted to a lottery system for admission, with over 12,000 people applying for one of the 200 available spots.
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