On Wednesday, the loaned panda Ya Ya was flown home to China on a special “panda express” flight after 22 years in the USA.
– It takes on a very extensive and exaggerated meaning, says Börje Ljunggren, former Swedish ambassador to China.
Since 1941, China has used pandas as a political tool in international relations to show good faith. In 1984, the country stopped giving pandas away as gifts and switched to only lending them out.
Bear couple Ya Ya and Le Le arrived at the Memphis Zoo with great fanfare in 2003. Since then, the loan was renewed for another decade in 2013.
But in 2019, people began to take notice of Ya Ya’s seemingly deteriorating condition, something the Memphis Zoo actively denied.
Chinese netizens created relief efforts to try to bring the panda home, others followed her every move on the zoo’s panda cameras.
The Chinese were not convinced
The US decided last December that the pandas would be returned in 2023 when the contract expires.
However, Le Le died in February of a sudden heart attack, which further strengthened suspicions of neglect. China sent experts to examine the pandas, and it was found that the male had died for that reason and that the female’s hair loss – which made her look sickly – was due to a skin disease.
But many in China were not convinced and directed their protests against the Chinese organization responsible for the panda loans.
The management tries to calm down
China’s foreign ministry sided with the US this week, saying the pandas were “well cared for” by the Memphis zoo and loved by the American people.
“China is willing to continue to cooperate with other partners, including the United States, to contribute to the conservation of endangered species,” ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Wednesday. But whether the statement has convinced the people of China is another matter entirely.
Hear more from Börje Ljunggren about the problem in the clip above.