France Returns Beloved Pandas to China Following Kidney Failure Diagnosis: A Diplomatic Journey Ends

Huan Huan (bottom) and her twin cubs Yuandudu and Huanlili sit in Beauval Zoo in 2022. (File)

France is set to return two beloved pandas to China on Tuesday following a diagnosis of kidney failure in the female panda, prompting hundreds of visitors to gather for a final farewell.

Huan Huan and Yuan Zi have been residents at Beauval Zoo in central France since 2012, serving as ambassadors in China's "panda diplomacy" program, which strategically loans these iconic black-and-white bears to countries worldwide as goodwill representatives.

The 17-year-old pandas were originally scheduled to remain in France until January 2027 but will now return to China's Chengdu panda sanctuary for their retirement years, leaving behind numerous devoted admirers.

Despite cold and rainy conditions, over 200 well-wishers gathered on Sunday to bid "bon voyage" to the pandas. Among them was a couple dressed entirely in panda-themed attire who claimed to have visited the bears "more than a thousand times" since their arrival in 2012.

Patrice Colombel, who works as an electronics technician, and his wife Veronique, an administrative assistant at a secondary school, told AFP they wouldn't have missed this opportunity. "They are the first pandas we have ever known. We wanted to be there to say goodbye to them," explained the couple visiting from Bordeaux in southwest France.

On Tuesday, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi will be transported to Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport under heavy police escort for their 12:30 pm (1130 GMT) flight.

The pair achieved historic significance by producing three cubs during their stay in France—the first pandas ever to reproduce in the country—and became the star attractions at Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, which attracted approximately two million visitors in 2023.

The decision to return them to China was made after Huan Huan was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, a condition common in bears of her age, according to zoo director Rodolphe Delord.

Delord acknowledged the departure comes with "a twinge of sadness." However, the twins born in 2021 are expected to remain at Beauval for now, and Delord expressed hope to extend the zoo's partnership with China beyond 2027.

The eldest offspring, Yuan Meng, already returned to China in 2023.

For panda keeper Delphine Pouvreau, the departure will be "very hard" for the caretakers who have developed strong bonds with the bears. "We experienced the first birth of a baby panda in France here," she reflected. "This memory will remain engraved in our hearts."

The giant panda was reclassified last year from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the global list of at-risk species.

Currently, only about 20 zoos outside China house pandas, which have become symbolic of Beijing's diplomatic relationships.

China has employed "panda diplomacy" for decades, sending these bears around the world as soft-power ambassadors. A notable historical example occurred in 1972 when China presented a pair of pandas to Washington following US President Richard Nixon's landmark visit to the Communist nation.