Giant panda Fu Bao enjoys eating bamboo at Everland, in this undated file photo provided by the theme park. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
YONGIN, Apr. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Fu Bao, a giant panda born in Everland, was set to be returned to China on Wednesday under an international agreement, nearly four years after she was born.
Everland, the nation’s largest amusement park, located in Yongin, 42 kilometers southeast of Seoul, said it will hold a farewell ceremony for fans at 10:40 a.m. for 20 minutes.
The female giant panda will slowly pass through the ceremony in a vibration-free special vehicle used to transport semiconductors, but visitors will not be able to see Fu Bao.
Zookeepers Kang Cheol-won, widely recognized as the “panda grandfather” by fans, and Song Young-gwan will each read out a letter to Fu Bao and to the fans.
The giant panda will head off to China on a Chinese-chartered plane from Incheon International Airport.
She is expected to arrive in China late in the afternoon and stay at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province.
Fu Bao was born on July 20, 2020, to Ai Bao and Le Bao, the giant pandas sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March 2016 as a symbol of the South Korea-China friendship.
Pandas sent by China to overseas countries are returned to China before they turn 4 in accordance with the endangered species conservation agreement.
(Yonhap)
