According to the agreement on promoting cooperation in panda conservation research signed by China and South Korea, the panda "Fubao" should return to China before reaching the age of four. Now, the four-year promise has come to an end, and Fubao will return to Sichuan Province, China, on April 3, 2024, to the Shenshuping Base in Wenchuan.
On July 20, 2020, at 21:39 local time in South Korea, Panda Hua Ni gave birth to a panda cub. Panda Hua Ni was very nervous when she first became a mother, but after many attempts, she finally held the baby in her arms and kept licking and comforting it. After expert examination, the baby was female, with a length of 16.5cm and a weight of 197g. The mother is called Panda Ai Bao (Chinese name: Hua Ni ), and the father is called Le Bao (Chinese name: Yuan Xin). On November 4, 2020, the first panda born in South Korea was named "Fu Bao".
The story of a top female star and her keeper
With its charming appearance, "Fubao" has become a popular idol in South Korea since its birth. On February 5, 2024, "Fubao" is about to return to China, and the album themed on "Fubao" has topped the best-seller list in South Korea. On February 8, 2024, South Korea awarded the special honorary citizen certificate to the giant panda "Fubao". The thriving growth of "Fubao" cannot be separated from its keepers Grandpa Jiang and Grandpa Song. South Korean netizens jokingly said that "Fubao" was spoiled into a "little princess". The three of them even have a group name - the "Bao" family. On March 3, 2024, "Fubao" is about to return to China, and Grandpa Jiang and Grandpa Song are in tears. Grandpa Jiang said, "Thank you for coming to my side, 'Fubao'". It is rumored that the mother of the keeper Grandpa Jiang passed away, but the plan to accompany Fubao back to China remains unchanged
The article that Fubao's keeper wrote for Fubao
On January 11, 2024, Song Yongkuan, a giant panda keeper at Aibao Park, published an article titled "Preparing to Say Goodbye to Fubao". The full text is as follows:
Separation is not always easy. But during my tenure as a zoo keeper, I learned a lot about how to handle parting from wild animals. Maybe we should learn from Ai Bao, who made Fu Bao independent. After Fu Bao became independent, the mother and daughter lived quietly as complete individuals. Separation is a new beginning for them, so they both accepted it silently. Supporting Fu Bao in her next stage of life, our parting from Fu Bao may also be like Ai Bao and Fu Bao's parting.
Giant pandas reach sexual maturity after 4 years old, and their encounters with the opposite sex in spring are very short, so they need to prepare from the previous winter. Male pandas will first expand their range of activities, leaving their body odor on trees and rocks. If the female receives the information from this male giant panda, she will feel stimulated and increase her activity level and range of activities. They gradually understand each other's state and slowly understand what they are going to do. This synchronized activity will be carried out in an orderly manner before the female and male meet in the second spring. Our Fubao, like her mother Ai Bao, began to show such behavior in the winter before she was 4 years old. She is silently completing what she needs to do according to the changes of the seasons. Therefore, Fubao also needs to return to China before she is 4 years old to meet the opposite sex and live a happy "panda bear life".
For Fubao and all of us, 2024 has arrived. For the Baos, this year will be very special, as the climax and end of the happy story we have written together with Fubao are coming. I am worried about you, and separation is not an easy thing. Everyone's love for Fubao is very sincere, which makes it even sadder. However, valuable and precious things always come to us with difficulty, just like fate. I hope that Fubao fans will not close this precious story book because of sadness and anxiety. Like difficult times, the whole family should unite and overcome difficulties together. In order to enable Fubao to display its skills in a broader place in the future and for its brighter bear life, the Baos should unite now. Instead of being forced to say goodbye without preparation, it is better to greet each other in advance and spend this beautiful moment of departure together.
Recently, experts from the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center said that Fu Bao would not fall in love for the time being after returning to China at the age of four. After Fu Bao returned to China, the base would decide when to make her public appearance based on her adaptation.
Updates: According to the Chosun Ilbo, on April 8th, 2024, a proposal titled "Please consider allowing citizens to see the 'Fubao' returning to China again in Seoul's Grand Park" appeared on a citizen platform website operated by the Seoul City Government. The proposal states that in order to satisfy the desire of Seoul citizens and Chinese tourists to see "Fubao" again, please pay rent to China to rent "Fubao". The proposal also states that it is hoped that Chinese tourists visiting South Korea can also see "Fubao" as a symbol of friendship between China and South Korea in Seoul's Grand Park.
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