Panda cub Bei Bei leaves for new life in China

At least 12,000 visitors went to the zoo over the weekend to join "Bye Bye, Bei Bei", a weeklong celebratory event, to bid farewell to the "American Sweetheart", as he is called by some visitors, according to the zoo statistics.

On Monday afternoon, the last time Bei Bei made his public appearance, dozens of visitors seemed to be glued to the glassed enclosure where Bei Bei was playing.

They were following every move of the cub, who seemed unaware of his imminent departure.

Gena Kim, a video blogger from Los Angeles, who runs a YouTube channel dedicated to Bei Bei since he was born, livestreamed footage of Bei Bei foraging in the indoor habitat and eating a carrot.

"A lot of people are very sad to let him go because he's an American sweetheart," Kim said.

Cindy Gordon, who lives in the US capital, was taking photos with her smartphone. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she and other visitors finally had to leave at the repeated request of the zoo workers.

"I feel so sad that Bei Bei is leaving," she said "He was the first panda I have ever bonded with when I moved here from New York."