Thousands bid farewell to Tokyo zoo pandas before their return to China
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Pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin (pictured) will be taken back to China on Sept 29.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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TOKYO – Thousands of thankful, sobbing fans flocked to a Tokyo zoo on Sept 28 to bid an emotional farewell to a pair of beloved pandas before their imminent return to China.
Sporting T-shirts, hats and sun umbrellas featuring the black and white bears, visitors shed tears, took selfies and eagerly waved at Ri Ri and Shin Shin on the panda couple’s penultimate day at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoological Gardens.
More than 2,000 panda lovers formed long queues outside the zoo on the morning of Sept 28, some having spent the whole night there armed with picnic blankets and camping chairs.
Among the most committed was Ms Mayuko Sumida, 44, who said she had arrived at around 10pm on Sept 27, carrying her panda-shaped key rings.
“I’m overwhelmed,” she said after admiring Ri Ri and Shin Shin for the last time. “They are the best duo that bring comfort and smiles to me.”
The mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China lends them to zoos in other countries as part of a “panda diplomacy” programme
Ri Ri and Shin Shin arrived at Ueno Zoo in 2011 and were due to stay until February 2026, but Japan and China agreed it would be better for the 19-year-olds to return to their home country in the light of their declining health.
They will be taken back to China on Sept 29.
‘Emotional support’ pandas
On Sept 28, strict crowd control measures were in place at the zoo to escort fans away after giving them just a few minutes to adore and photograph the pair through the glass.
Ri Ri and Shin Shin were “like the sun to me” and “always gave me emotional support”, said Ms Machiko Seki, who, like other fans, wore black to prevent window reflections from ruining her pictures.
“When I look at their smiles, whatever worries me just goes away... I can’t be more grateful for them,” the woman in her 50s said, shedding tears.
The pair gave birth in 2017 to cub Xiang Xiang – the zoo’s first baby panda since 1988, who became a massive draw – as well as twins in 2021
Many fans cried when Xiang Xiang left for China in 2023, and her departure was broadcast live on local television.
PHOTO: AFP
Ms Michiyo Matoba, 61, has been coming to see Xiang Xiang’s parents almost every week. “Ri Ri loves climbing trees so I hope he will enjoy those mountains of China as much as he likes, and the glutton Shin Shin will hopefully start eating to her heart’s content after regaining her health.”
Thousands of thankful, sobbing fans flocked to a Tokyo zoo on Sept 28 to bid an emotional farewell to a pair of beloved pandas before their imminent return to China.
PHOTO: AFP
Despite the panda diplomacy, relations between the two countries have soured in recent years following Beijing’s growing maritime assertiveness.
Politics, Ms Matoba said, does not taint her love for the animals.
“Just like pandas, I hope Japan and China can be friends,” she said.
There are an estimated 1,860 giant pandas left in the wild, mainly in bamboo forests in the mountains of China, according to environmental group World Wide Fund for Nature.
There are about 600 in captivity in panda centres, zoos and wildlife parks around the world. AFP
