Japanese fans bid farewell to beloved panda pair before their return to China

TOKYO (AP) — Thousands of Japanese fans bid tearful farewell to their beloved panda couple that made their final public appearance at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Saturday before returning to China for medical treatment.

The pair, Ri Ri and Shan Shan, are the parents of Xiang Xiang, the park-born idol that had returned home last year.

More than 2,000 visitors, many wearing T-shirts and carrying items decorated by panda motifs, queued outside the zoo hours before the opening. Some said they camped out overnight to secure their chance.

The pandas, both 19 years old, arrived at the Ueno Zoo in 2011. Although their lease is good through 2026, Japan and China agreed to their return home as the aging couple need treatment for high blood pressure, according to the zoo.

Hirono Sasaki, who waited to enter the zoo since 5 a.m., was crying. “They were always my source of comfort, so I’m feel extremely sad,” she said. “I loved seeing Ri Ri climbing trees in her old enclosure. I hope she can climb trees again when she is back in China.”

After their hours long wait, visitors were given only a few minutes inside their hut to view the black-and-white animals. Lucky ones could get a glimpse of them nibbling on bamboo branches, but others could only catch them during their naps.

China sends pandas abroad as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over the animals and any cubs they produce. The animals are native to southwestern China and are an unofficial national mascot.

Pandas, which reproduce rarely in the wild and rely on a diet of bamboo, remain among the world’s most threatened species. An estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild, while another 500 are in zoos or reserves, mostly in Sichuan.

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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.