Thousands of South Koreans come to say goodbye to panda Fu Bao as he returns to China

Fu Bao has attracted a large fan base since his birth in July 2020 at the Everland amusement park in South Korea. The panda will return to China's Sichuan province next month after a month of quarantine.

Thousands of tourists lined up from early morning to attend the farewell event, many saying they would miss Fubao when it returned to China.

Panda Fu Bao at Everland amusement park (Korea) on March 3, 2024

"I suffered from mental illness three years ago, but Fuk-po helped me overcome it and brought me a lot of comfort," said Kim Min-ji, a 31-year-old tourist. "It's sad to part with him, but we need to let him return to his homeland. I hope he will be safe and happy."

Another tourist, Jo Ah-hyeon, said she had waited more than four hours to see Fuk-po. "This is our last chance. I don't know when I'll see him again, so I have to come," she said.

Kang Cher-won, the zookeeper and caretaker of Fu Bao, said the panda has given him a lot of love and taught him a lot about the endangered species. Online videos of Kang caring for Fu Bao are popular in South Korea.

"Fu Bao is a friend. He is the first baby panda I have ever cared for, and my heart is filled with memories of him that I will never forget for the rest of my life," said Mr. Kang.

Fu Bao is the son of panda father Le Bao and mother Ai Bao. Fu Bao's panda parents were brought to South Korea in 2016 as a symbol of China's "panda diplomacy ." Last July, Ai Bao also gave birth to panda twins in South Korea.

Female pandas can only conceive once a year for a limited period of time and baby pandas have very little chance of survival as they are usually born prematurely and weigh less than 200 grams.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/hang-ngan-nguoi-han-quoc-toi-chia-tay-gau-truc-phuc-bao-tro-ve-trung-quoc-185240303212946241.htm