All 4 pandas at Wakayama Pref. zoo depart for China, leaving 2 in Japan
WAKAYAMA (Kyodo) -- All four giant pandas on loan to a western Japan zoo left for China on Saturday, ahead of the expiration of their lease agreement.
The 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring -- Yuihin, 8, Saihin, 6, and Fuhin, 4 -- left Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province, according to the zoo operator.
Their departure means that only two giant pandas remain in Japan. Both are at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens and are also due to return to China next February.
About 1,400 visitors queued at the park before it opened for their final public display on Friday, and some 3,000 people attended a farewell ceremony.
"It is sad that they leave Japan all at once. I wish for them to stay healthy in China," said Chisato Noda from Nagoya.
"I want to visit China to see them. Maybe I'll plan a trip," said Yumi Yokoyama from Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo.
The pandas were last on display in outdoor enclosures in May. Over the past month, the public had been able to see them in isolated rooms where they were quarantined ahead of their travel.
Chinese government spokesman Guo Jiakun said Friday that China and Japan have established "sound cooperation ties" through panda conservation and research.
"We stand ready to continue enhancing exchanges and cooperation with Japan and other partners in the world to jointly contribute to the protection of the endangered species," he told a press conference in Beijing.
The Wakayama Prefecture zoo began a joint breeding program with the Chinese panda research base in 1994. It has successfully raised 17 cubs, the most outside China.
"The breeding project is finished for now, but we are willing to prepare to accept new pandas in future," the zoo's director Koji Imazu said.
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Kyodo News
6 hours ago
- Kyodo News
All 4 pandas at west Japan zoo depart for China, leaves 2 in country
KYODO NEWS - 31 minutes ago - 11:02 | Japan, All, World All four giant pandas on loan to a western Japan zoo left for China on Saturday, ahead of the expiration of their lease agreement. The 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring -- Yuihin, 8, Saihin, 6, and Fuhin, 4 -- left Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province, according to the zoo operator. Their departure means that only two giant pandas remain in Japan. Both are at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens and are also due to return to China next February. About 1,400 visitors queued at the park before it opened for their final public display on Friday, and some 3,000 people attended a farewell ceremony. "It is sad that they leave Japan all at once. I wish for them to stay healthy in China," said Chisato Noda from Nagoya. "I want to visit China to see them. Maybe I'll plan a trip," said Yumi Yokoyama from Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. The pandas were last on display in outdoor enclosures in May. Over the past month, the public had been able to see them in isolated rooms where they were quarantined ahead of their travel. Chinese government spokesman Guo Jiakun said Friday that China and Japan have established "sound cooperation ties" through panda conservation and research. "We stand ready to continue enhancing exchanges and cooperation with Japan and other partners in the world to jointly contribute to the protection of the endangered species," he told a press conference in Beijing. The Wakayama Prefecture zoo began a joint breeding program with the Chinese panda research base in 1994. It has successfully raised 17 cubs, the most outside China. "The breeding project is finished for now, but we are willing to prepare to accept new pandas in future," the zoo's director Koji Imazu said. Related coverage: FOCUS: China's "panda diplomacy" in focus as zero moment may come in Japan All 4 giant pandas at western Japan zoo to return to China in June Giant panda Eimei dies in China after repatriation from Japan
The Mainichi
6 hours ago
- The Mainichi
All 4 pandas at Wakayama Pref. zoo depart for China, leaving 2 in Japan
WAKAYAMA (Kyodo) -- All four giant pandas on loan to a western Japan zoo left for China on Saturday, ahead of the expiration of their lease agreement. The 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring -- Yuihin, 8, Saihin, 6, and Fuhin, 4 -- left Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province, according to the zoo operator. Their departure means that only two giant pandas remain in Japan. Both are at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens and are also due to return to China next February. About 1,400 visitors queued at the park before it opened for their final public display on Friday, and some 3,000 people attended a farewell ceremony. "It is sad that they leave Japan all at once. I wish for them to stay healthy in China," said Chisato Noda from Nagoya. "I want to visit China to see them. Maybe I'll plan a trip," said Yumi Yokoyama from Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. The pandas were last on display in outdoor enclosures in May. Over the past month, the public had been able to see them in isolated rooms where they were quarantined ahead of their travel. Chinese government spokesman Guo Jiakun said Friday that China and Japan have established "sound cooperation ties" through panda conservation and research. "We stand ready to continue enhancing exchanges and cooperation with Japan and other partners in the world to jointly contribute to the protection of the endangered species," he told a press conference in Beijing. The Wakayama Prefecture zoo began a joint breeding program with the Chinese panda research base in 1994. It has successfully raised 17 cubs, the most outside China. "The breeding project is finished for now, but we are willing to prepare to accept new pandas in future," the zoo's director Koji Imazu said.
a day ago
Fans Bid Farewell to 4 Pandas Right ahead of Return to China
Shirahama, Wakayama Pref., June 27 (Jiji Press)--Fans bid farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in the Adventure World amusement park in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, on Friday, the final viewing day for the animals ahead of their 'return' to China. Rauhin, 24, and her three daughters--8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin--will be transferred to China on Saturday, ahead of the expiration of the amusement park's lease contract for the pandas with the Chinese side in August. They were all born at Adventure World. After their return, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only giant pandas in Japan. On Friday, some 1,400 people lined up in front of Adventure World to see the four pandas, prompting the amusement park to open at 9 a.m., an hour earlier than usual. 'They gave me a lot of happiness and comfort,' said Ayako Takenaka, a 53-year-old self-employed from the city of Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. 'It's quite a pity because I had thought I would be able to keep seeing them again and again in the future,' Takenaka said with tears in her eyes. 'I wish for their happiness.' [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
