Thousands of Japanese fans bid farewell to four pandas to be sent back to China. Sending pandas to a country temporarily is a cute way for China to strengthen diplomatic relations with that country.
On Sunday, thousands of upset Japanese flocked to Tokyo's Ueno zoo to see one last female panda named Xiang Xiang. A section of panda fans also went to the zoological park in the Wakayama prefecture and said goodbye to the other three pandas who were to be sent back to China.
2 thousand 600 people were determined by drawing lots among those who wanted to see Xiang Xiang for the last time in Tokyo. In the meantime, the Ueno zoo, where the panda is located, was flooded with phone calls and e-mails from fans who demanded that the animal not be sent for a while. In fact, the panda's departure, which was supposed to be sent back to China in 2021, was delayed several times due to pandemic conditions.
In the Wakayama region, on the other hand, visitors came to see Eimei, the world's oldest panda, and her twin daughters for the last time, who turned 2020 in 80, which corresponds to the age of 28 in humans.
These cute animals, which are very popular in the world with their white and black fur, serve as an instrument for China to strengthen diplomatic relations. Around 860 giant pandas are known to live in nature, mainly in bamboo forests in the mountainous regions of China. On the other hand, about 600 pandas live in special care and production centers and zoos.