TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Giant panda Ya Ya touched down in Shanghai Thursday afternoon after leaving the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, where she lived for the past 20 years on loan.
The journey of the popular panda was closely followed on the Internet.
People shared screenshots of the route of the flight from Ya Ya to Shanghai. “Finally back home!” celebrated one user in response to the news. Others requested a live broadcast of the arrival, which was reported by Chinese media and monopolized four of the 10 most commented topics on the Weibo platform.
An image on China’s Phoenix News television that proved particularly popular with the country’s social media users showed Ya Ya defecating before the trip and leaving the feces as a gift for the zoo.
The zoo threw a farewell party for Ya Ya a few weeks ago and indicated that she would miss the panda. His departure marks the end of a 20-year loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens.
Ya Ya was born on August 3, 2000 in Beijing and later lived in the park in Memphis with Le Le, a male panda born on July 18, 1998. Le Le died in February.
The life expectancy of a giant panda in the wild is about 15 years, but in captivity they have lived up to 38.
After the 20-year loan agreement expired without renewal, accusations of neglect and mistreatment circulated on Chinese social media this year alongside images of Yaya with bald spots and discolored fur.
The Memphis Zoo said in a statement that the panda’s quality of life was not affected by the fur problems and said they reported monthly on the animal’s health to the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens. “Ya Ya also lives with a chronic skin and coat problem inherent to her immune system and directly affected by hormonal fluctuations,” the center added.
A veterinarian accompanied Y Ya on the trip to Shanghai to attend to her medical needs, the zoo said.