Fans Bid Farewell to 4 Pandas Right ahead of Return to China

   Shirahama, Wakayama Pref., June 27 (Jiji Press)--Fans bid farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in the Adventure World amusement park in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, on Friday, the final viewing day for the animals ahead of their "return" to China.
   Rauhin, 24, and her three daughters--8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin--will be transferred to China on Saturday, ahead of the expiration of the amusement park's lease contract for the pandas with the Chinese side in August. They were all born at Adventure World.
   After their return, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only giant pandas in Japan.
   On Friday, some 1,400 people lined up in front of Adventure World to see the four pandas, prompting the amusement park to open at 9 a.m., an hour earlier than usual.
   "They gave me a lot of happiness and comfort," said Ayako Takenaka, a 53-year-old self-employed from the city of Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. "It's quite a pity because I had thought I would be able to keep seeing them again and again in the future," Takenaka said with tears in her eyes. "I wish for their happiness."

(2025/06/27-18:52)

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