Old panda Gao Gao returns to China after 15 years' overseas life

Vets and breeders will carry out rounds of examinations for the panda over the next month, helping him to adapt to his new home quickly.

Gao Gao is 28 years old, as old as a 98-year-old human in panda years, and received a surgery for testicular tumor while living in the US, said Li Desheng, an expert from the research center. Gao Gao also has some common diseases found in older pandas.

The long journey from the US to China was tough, but the accompanying vets and breeders took good care of him. After arriving at the base, he was still in a good mental state.

Gao Gao was born in the wild around 1990, and was taken to captivity in 1993 after suffering injuries. He was brought to the research center in 2002. He had been living in the San Diego Zoo since 2003 and fathered five cubs with his mate, Bai Yun, during the stay.

Zhang Zhizhong, Party chief of the research center, said after Gao Gao's return, there are a total of 13 returned giant pandas living in the center, the largest such group anywhere.