"Two pandas at a zoo in central France are to return to China on Tuesday 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."
"More than 200 well-wishers braved a cold and rainy Sunday to say "bon voyage", including one couple dressed head-to-toe in panda-themed gear, who say they have visited the bears "more than a thousand times" since their arrival in 2012. Patrice Colombel, an electronics technician, and his wife Veronique, an administrative assistant at a secondary school, told AFP they would not have missed the chance to see them off."
"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 202"
Two 17-year-old giant pandas, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, will leave Beauval Zoo in central France and return to China earlier than planned after Huan Huan was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. The pair arrived in 2012 under China’s panda diplomacy and became major attractions, producing three cubs and drawing substantial visitor numbers. More than 200 well-wishers attended a farewell, and the pandas will be escorted to Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport under heavy police protection for their flight. The twins born in 2021 are expected to remain at Beauval for now, and the zoo seeks to continue its partnership with China.
Read at The Local France
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