Three giant pandas return to China from Belgium

Giant pandas Tian Bao, Bao Di, and Bao Mei returned to Chengdu, Sichuan province, taking a chartered flight on Wednesday morning, and will undergo quarantine at the Ya'an base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, according to the center.

An experienced veterinarian from the panda center traveled to Belgium on December 5 to conduct routine health check-ups and assessments in collaboration with Belgian veterinary experts, and escorted the three giant pandas back to China together with Belgian keepers.

Tian Bao was born in June 2016, while the twins Bao Di and Bao Mei were born in August 2019, all being the offspring of Xing Hui and Hao Hao, giant pandas residing in Belgium.

In February 2014, Xing Hui and Hao Hao departed from the Dujiangyan base of the panda center in China to the Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium to participate in a 15-year China-Belgium giant panda international cooperative program.

Over the past decade, both China and Belgium have achieved numerous successes in promoting the conservation, breeding, and management of giant pandas and their cubs, particularly making significant advancements in the analysis and extraction methods of panda hormones like estradiol and progesterone, according to the center.

Xing Hui and Hao Hao have become well-known animal celebrities, serving as a bridge between the people of Belgium and China, fostering mutual understanding and promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, said the giant panda center.

According to the agreement between China and Belgium, giant panda cubs born in Belgium must return to China before reaching the age of 4. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, after amicable negotiations, the return of the three giant pandas to China was delayed until now.