Emotion as first giant panda born in France set to leave for China
Yuan Meng, whose godmother is Brigitte Macron, was born at Beauval zoo in 2017
Yuan Meng was the first baby panda to be born in France after his parents were loaned to the zoo from Beijing
Screenshot / ZooParc Beauval
The first giant panda to be born in France is finally set to move to China this summer after his transfer was delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
Yuan Meng was born in 2017 in the ZooParc Beauval, in Saint-Aignan (Loir-et-Cher).
The panda is now a young adult and will be sent to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China on July 4, to reproduce 鈥渨ith a female with no parental links鈥� to him, zoo director Rodolphe Delord .
Mr Delord said: 鈥淗e will not be released back into the wild, but his children could be. There is now enough genetic diversification for their reintroduction.鈥�
Before he sets off, Yuan Meng will be placed in quarantine in France for a month. He will then be transferred in an air-conditioned van to Frankfurt airport in Germany. He will then travel to Chengdu, accompanied at all times by a carer and vet from Beauval.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very emotional,鈥� said Mr Delord. 鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 really a big event, but it鈥檚 the logical next step. What matters most to us, is the conservation of the species.鈥�
Yuan Meng鈥檚 鈥榞odmother鈥� is Brigitte Macron, after she visited him soon after the panda鈥檚 birth. Yuan Meng鈥檚 parents, 鈥�celebrity couple鈥� Yuan Zi and Huan Huan, were loaned to France by Chinese authorities in 2012.
Read more: Name of France鈥檚 first baby panda finally revealed
Their trip has since been extended to 2027, and in 2021, Huan Huan gave birth to twins.
Only around 20 zoo parks worldwide host at least one of these types of panda, outside of China. They have become symbols of diplomatic friendship between Beijing and other nations.
Yuan Meng鈥檚 birth was hailed as a success story for the diplomacy programme and a positive new chapter in relations between China and France.
Read more: Yuan Meng the latest chapter in France's panda history
Giant pandas are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List. This is because climate change is threatening their habitat.
It had been listed as a species in 鈥渄anger鈥�, but since 2016 its alert status has been lowered to 鈥渧ulnerable鈥� due to protection efforts, and Beijing鈥檚 reforestation efforts.
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