Bye-bye Ya Ya and Le Le: Memphis pandas to be returned to China
Le Le the giant panda eats bamboo in his habitat at The Memphis Zoo on November 1.
A zoo in Memphis, Tennessee, is returning two giant pandas that had been on loan from China for 20 years, prompting celebrations by animal advocates who said the health of the animals had deteriorated due to neglect.
The announcement on Wednesday came after months of criticism by In Defense of Animals and other advocacy groups that have accused the zoo of providing inadequate care to the pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le.
A spokesperson for the zoo said the decision to return the pandas to China had nothing to do with pressure from animal advocates.
China requires foreign zoos that host pandas on loan to allow older animals to spend their final days on Chinese soil. At 24 and 22, respectively, Le Le and Ya Ya have exceeded the giant panda life expectancy in the wild by almost 10 years, according to the spokesperson.
Giant pandas, whose black-and-white faces have made them beloved around the world, are considered a vulnerable species.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 1,800 pandas are left in the wild and another 500 in zoos around the world. With the return of Ya Ya and Le Le to China, US zoos will have a total of 10 giant pandas.
Ya Ya and Le Le helped "pioneer research and conservation projects" and drew visitors to Memphis to "get a small taste of the exquisite culture of the People's Republic of China," according to the zoo's statement on Wednesday.
