中国ちゅうごくに返還へんかんのジャイアントパンダ4頭とう 和歌山わかやまのテーマパーク出発しゅっぱつ

The four giant pandas at the theme park in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, which are to be returned to China, departed from the theme park on the morning of the 28th.

The four giant pandas being returned to China are Rauhin, a female that was kept at a theme park in Shirahama Town, and her cubs: Yuihin, Saihin, and Fuhin.

On the morning of the 28th, they were put into cages one by one and loaded onto two trucks.

In order to reduce stimulation to the pandas and ensure their safe transport, their condition was not made public. However, according to the theme park, all four pandas were in good health and were eating bamboo as usual.

About 300 staff members and family gathered to see them off.

Director Koji Imazu of Adventure World said, Today is a new beginning.

Please cheerfully see the pandas off, she said.

And then, the truck carrying the four horses left the theme park a little before 8:30 a.m.

Yuka Nakaya, who was in charge of caring for the pandas for eight years, said, Since the atmosphere was different from usual, I noticed they seemed a little uneasy, but they were still eating bamboo properly. Were working closely with the staff from China, so I feel confident sending them off.

The four pandas are scheduled to be returned to a panda breeding facility in Sichuan Province, China, by a special plane.

Yesterday, about 3,000 people attended the farewell event. The 27th was the last day for the general public to see the pandas, and around 3,000 people participated in the event. They said their goodbyes while watching the four pandas lying down or eating bamboo as usual on a large screen.

The four pandas are scheduled to be returned to a breeding facility in Sichuan Province, China, leaving only two giant pandas at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo to be kept in Japan.

Adventure World director Koji Imazu said, We want to take every possible measure against the heat and send the four pandas to China without stress, connecting this to the next step.