Party time: millions watch farewell for giant panda Ya Ya in US as she prepares for long-awaited return to China
- The much-loved bear has endured hard times all alone in Memphis Zoo in the US since her partner Le Le died from heart failure in February
- Exact date of her return is yet to be confirmed but she is expected to be back in China by the end of this month
Millions of Chinese people have watched the farewell party for 22-year-old giant panda Ya Ya at Memphis Zoo in the United States ahead of her long-awaited return to China.
On April 8, the US zoo marked the end of a 20-year loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens of which Ya Ya was the subject, with a giant iced cake dotted with her favourite sugarcane and grapes.
The event also saw a performance by the Tennessee Happy Kung Fu School.
Several mainland Chinese media outlets broadcast the party live and the hashtag “Ya Ya eats iced fruit cake” was viewed on the microblogging platform Weibo more than 100 million times.
While the date of her homecoming remains unconfirmed, the zoo’s spokesperson Rebecca Winchester said she will “likely head back to China at the end of the month”.
Calls for Ya Ya’s return reached fever pitch after her male partner Le Le, who arrived at the zoo with her in 2003, died unexpectedly of heart disease in February.
