The 17-year-old animals should remain in Saint-Aignan-sur-chero until January 2027, but will return to a shrine in Chengdu; the female has the diagnosis of renal failure
A popular panda couple from a zoo will return to November after the female was diagnosed with renal impairment, the park director of AFP told AFP on Monday (22). Huan Huan and Yuan Zi arrived at the Beauval Zoo in the center of France, in 2012 as part of China’s “Panda Diplomacy” program, which sends these mammals around the world.
The 17 -year -old pandas should remain in France by January 2027, but will return to a shrine in Chengdu “in consultation with the Chinese authorities,” said Zoo Director Rodolphe Delord. “The female has kidney failure, a common chronic disease in aged carnivores. So we prefer to transport her to China before her condition gets worse,” he told AFP. The return is scheduled for November 2025 “so that they can live their retirement in peace,” added Delord.
Huan Huan and Yuan Zzi had three puppies in their period in France and became stars at the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher. The largest, Yuan Meng, left the country in 2024, while twins born in 2021 will continue to “make aware” of “the need to protect this emblematic species,” explained the director.
Last year, the giant panda left the status of “in danger” to “vulnerable” on the worldwide list of species at risk of extinction. Delord said he hoped to extend the association between the zoo and China beyond 2027. “And perhaps bring more pandes in the future,” he added.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Nátaly Tenório
