First Panda Born In France Arrived In China To Join Conservation Program

The first giant panda born in France has landed in China to take part in panda breeding and conservation efforts.

The Associated Press reported that a 6-year-old male panda named Yuan Meng arrived at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday morning.

Yuan Meng was born in 2017 in Beauval to a parent on a 10-year loan from China. The mother also gave birth to a twin panda.

All of the offspring are expected to be sent to China.

Thousand bid farewells to Yuan Meng

Inside his special cage filled with bamboo, a crowd of well-wishers and zoo employees cheered Yuan Meng as he was driven from Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher to the airport.

According to the China Daily, the zoo organized an event called "Last Breakfast" for the visitors to see the panda one last time ahead of his 12-hour flight to China.

Celine Gracia, her husband, and their two children traveled 400 kilometers from Dijon to attend the event.

Gracia was elated with the event saying that it was the panda's last day there. 

A nine-year-old girl, Lilou, was less cheerful, saying that she was sad that the panda was leaving. 

"But I am trying to tell myself that he will be better off there. It's for his own good," she told AFP, as quoted by Phys.Org.

French First Lady Brigitte Macron personally bid her farewell to the black and white bear at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

According to the international giant panda cooperation agreement, pandas born outside of China must be sent back to the country between the ages of two and four, before reaching sexual maturity, which is between the ages of four and six.

It is thought that relocating them to China, where the species is native, will provide them with ideal conditions for giving birth to a new generation of cubs.

Yuan Meng's travel back to China was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read Also: Giant Pandas Mate in French Zoo; Keepers Anticipating Succesful Pregnancy

France's love for panda

Beauval Zoo director Rodolphe Delord described the day as "heartbreaking", adding that French people adore the bear.

Delord shared how the public has been passionate on giant pandas in France, saying that it could  actually be considered as a global passion. He said a high regard is being accorded to the conservation of the species. 

Yuan Meng's departure left Beauval Zoo home to four giant pandas, and the zoo director hopes that more cubs will be born in the zoo.

The Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, said the giant pandas in France symbolized friendship between the two nations.

He first visited Yuan Meng in 2019 after assuming the post.

"Yuan Meng is leaving France, and I can understand the French people's unwillingness to say goodbye," he said. "I hope Yuan Meng will continue to be an envoy of friendship between the two countries and carry on spreading goodwill."

China has traditionally used panda diplomacy to advance its foreign policy objectives, gifting the animals to various countries, including the United States and Taiwan.

Beijing loans pandas to international zoos, but they need to return the offspring to participate in the country's breeding program.

According to the environmental organization WWF, there are an estimated 1,860 giant pandas left in the wild, mostly found in bamboo forests in China.

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