For the past few weeks, a giant panda named "Ya Ya" has been a trending topic on Chinese social media. This female panda, currently living in the United States, appears to be in poor health, prompting many Chinese netizens to call for her to be brought back to China. Contrary to the popular image of a chubby and adorable panda, Ya Ya, living at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, appears rather frail, looking thin and sparsely furred. Her condition has sparked numerous rumors online, claiming that the Memphis Zoo is neglecting her, which has angered many Chinese netizens.
According to Chinese media reports on Wednesday (March 8), the Memphis Zoo is arranging a flight for Yaya to China, but is awaiting approval from the US government.
In 2003, the Memphis Zoo reached an agreement and signed a letter of intent with the China Association of Zoological Gardens to lease two giant pandas from China. Ya Ya and her male companion Le Le subsequently went to the United States. Last December, the Memphis Zoo announced that due to the expiration of the lease agreement, the zoo would return the two pandas in 2023, ending their 20-year life in the United States.
However, on February 1st of this year, Lele suddenly passed away at the zoo due to a heart attack at the age of 25. This incident sparked questions from some Chinese netizens regarding whether the zoo had failed to provide adequate care. The Memphis Zoo rejected the allegations of abuse and denied that the return of the panda was due to these allegations.
The average lifespan of captive giant pandas is 25 to 30 years, with the oldest known giant panda reaching 38 years old. In the wild, the average lifespan of giant pandas is 15 to 20 years.
Lele's passing has drawn more attention from Chinese netizens to Ya Ya's condition. Videos on some social media platforms show her covered in dirt and exhibiting repetitive behaviors. Many netizens are calling for Ya Ya to return to China as soon as possible.
"How could such an adorable panda be so cruelly mutilated? I was instantly moved to tears, feeling both angry and heartbroken," a Weibo user wrote.
"This attitude towards our national treasures is a provocation against China. Why haven't the relevant departments resolved this issue yet?" another netizen commented.
The hashtag #YayaContinuesBeggingForFood# became a trending topic on Weibo. The platform shows that it has been viewed over 640 million times.
According to the state-run Global Times, some netizens even bought a screen in Times Square, New York, to play videos of YaYa and pray for its safety.
Amidst deteriorating Sino-US relations and warming Sino-Russian relations, some have compared the pandas "Ya Ya" and "Le Le" to the pandas "Ru Yi" and "Ding Ding" in Russia. Chinese media reports indicate that the two pandas, now residing at the Moscow Zoo, have gained 40 kilograms.
Many people also flocked to an organization called "Panda Voices" to launch a petition on change.org, demanding that Matt Thompson, CEO of the Memphis Zoo, terminate Ya Ya's stay in the United States. The petition has garnered nearly 140,000 signatures.
The Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens told Chinese media that China has sent experts to the United States to assist in caring for Ya Ya, and China is ready to welcome Ya Ya back to China.
Panda Diplomacy
For decades, China has used sending giant pandas overseas as a diplomatic tool to strengthen relations, a practice known as "panda diplomacy." In the early days of the People's Republic of China, pandas were only sent to socialist allies such as the Soviet Union and North Korea, but later they were also sent to Western countries. In 1972, after then-US President Nixon met with Chinese leader Mao Zedong, China sent the pandas Ling Ling and Xing Xing to the United States.
Pandas are a species unique to China and are also used as diplomatic envoys. (File photo)
In recent decades, most giant pandas have gone to developed countries with geopolitical influence, where they pay up to $1 million a year for each panda in rental fees and cover specially designed enclosures and food.
However, the pandas' lives on the move around the world are not always smooth sailing. Finnish media reported that a local zoo, due to a shortage of funds, is preparing to send two pandas back home. Last month, Xiang Xiang, a panda on loan to Japan, returned to China to find a mate in Sichuan.
