"It's a page closing": the last two pandas housed in France will leave for China on December 17

The two giant pandas currently living in France will soon return to China. Yuandudu and Huanlili, twin sisters born in August 2021, will depart from the ZooParc de Beauval in Loire-et-Cher on December 17 for the Chengdu Conservation Center in China. This marks the first time since 2012 that France will have no giant pandas on its territory. Rodolphe Delord, director of the ZooParc, told AFP that the absence of pandas at the park would last only “several weeks.” He confirmed that a new pair of pandas is expected to arrive early in 2027 for a ten-year stay, though he did not specify the exact arrival date. Delord noted that while the departure represents a change, the park still has 35,000 other animals, ensuring that the absence of pandas would not significantly impact the visitor experience. Yuandudu and Huanlili will reunite with their older brother, who arrived in China in 2023. All three pandas were born to a pair that came to France in 2012 and returned to China late last year. Their departure was anticipated, as the twins were intended to return to China to breed with unrelated males. China’s practice of loaning pandas abroad serves as part of its diplomatic strategy, known as panda diplomacy. Outside of China, only about 20 zoos house these animals. Giant pandas, native to China, are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and have become a key symbol of Chinese soft power. As their departure approaches, Yuandudu and Huanlili continue medical training with their caretakers to prepare for the journey. The zoo invites visitors to bid them farewell, with a final public meeting planned soon. French and Chinese veterinary and scientific experts jointly monitor the twins under an international species conservation program. They have high-profile godparents, including French football star Kylian Mbappé and Chinese diver Zhang Jiaqi, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Delord plans to use the period without pandas to renovate and improve the area designated for them.