'I cried when I saw an old video of the pandas': Malaysians say goodbye to panda cubs Yi Yi, Sheng Yi as they return to China

Malaysians bade farewell to two panda cubs, Yi Yi and Sheng Yi, as the two animals headed back to their homeland of China on Tuesday (Aug 29).

Yi Yi and Sheng Yi — born in January 2018 and May 2021, respectively — were originally due to return to China when they turned two, but this was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, reported Malaysian newspaper The Star.

The female cubs are offspring of Xing Xing and Liang Liang — which are giant pandas that China loaned to Malaysia in 2014 for 10 years, to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.

Together with their parents, the cubs were housed in the national zoo of Malaysia, Zoo Negara in Selangor, 5km from the city of Kuala Lumpur.

The cubs have another older sister Nuan Nuan who was born in August 2015, and returned to China in 2017.

Under the terms of Chinese panda loan agreements, cubs born on foreign soil are returned to China when they turn two years of age.

China loans these animals to foreign countries as a goodwill gesture, an effort that has become popularly known as "panda diplomacy".

At the farewell ceremony at Zoo Negara on Tuesday, Deputy Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Huang Tiong Sii said the return of the cubs will serve the purpose of Giant Panda conservation, enabling it to socialise and breed with other Giant Pandas, The Star reported.

Some Malaysians could not bear to see the pandas go. Tracey Lee told AFP that she had been crying for many days at home.

The 37-year-old housewife choked back tears as she recalled visiting the pandas every week to make TikTok videos.

"This morning before coming to the zoo, I cried when I saw an old video of Yi Yi and Sheng Yi," said Lee.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the zoo thanked the cubs for the laughter and love they brought to visitors.

"From their first hesitant steps to their mischievous adventures, every moment was a testament to the sheer joy and wonder these pandas brought to all who crossed their path," said the zoo.

The cubs will be taking MASkargo, the cargo arm of Malaysia Airlines, to fly home to the Chinese city of Chengdu, according to MASkargo's Facebook page. MASkargo previously transported the cubs' parents from China to Kuala Lumpur in 2014.

On Aug 23, the cubs' parents — who were born in Sichuan, China — celebrated their 17th birthday at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre in Zoo Negara with a special flora-decorated cake made of fruits like apples and grapes.

The zoo's deputy president Rosly Rahmat Ahmat Lana said the zoo's success in breeding giant pandas have contributed to conservation efforts, reported Bernama.

In the wild, giant pandas can be found only in China's mountainous central regions where their favourite food, bamboo, grows in abundance.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.