Countdown starts for giant panda Ya Ya’s return to China from US
- Chinese specialists are working with a team in Memphis to assess Ya Ya’s health and finalise preparations for her trip home
- She will spend more than a month in Shanghai in quarantine before taking up residence in an enclosure being built in Beijing, report says
Two more Chinese giant panda experts arrived in the US city of Memphis on Thursday to prepare for the return of 22-year-old Ya Ya to China, according to the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens.
“[The Chinese team] will work with American counterparts to take care of Ya Ya and assess her health. They will also fine tune preparations for her safe return to China,” the association said.
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Chinese experts said Ya Ya had some hair loss caused by skin disease. Previous medical reports indicated she had a good appetite and a stable weight.
The Memphis Zoo applied for a permit to re-export Ya Ya and the remains of Le Le to the Shanghai Zoo in China “for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species”, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.