All four giant pandas on loan to a theme park in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama will return to China in late June, ahead of the expiration of their lease agreement, the park's operator said on Thursday.Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama announced that the 24-year-old Rauhin and her three daughters, 8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin, will leave for their new home at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province.Adventure World began a breeding cooperation program with the Chinese panda research base in 1994 and was home to Eimei, a special envoy for Sino-Japan friendship who came to Japan on loan in 1994.
Under the joint conservation project, 17 giant pandas were born in the Wakayama park over three decades.Although the joint project is set to conclude in August, the four pandas will return to China in June, when the weather is relatively cooler, the park announced."We hope these four giant pandas can live a healthy and happy life in China, and we also hope that the young ones can take on the mission of breeding new lives," the park said.With the departure of the four giant pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only giant pandas remaining in Japan.(Cover: Giant panda Eimei, mate of Rauhin and father of Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin, enjoys a meal on his final day for public viewing before returning to China, at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, February 21, 2023.
/VCG)