KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian-born giant panda cubs Yi Yi and Sheng Yi were given a red carpet send-off as they left for China today at 4pm.
The repatriation of the cubs is in accordance with the International Cooperative Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation between Malaysia and China.
Their farewell ceremony at Zoo Negara today was attended by Deputy Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii.
He said that 5-year-old Yi Yi was initially supposed to return to China in 2020, but the trip was delayed following border closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association agreed to the repatriation when Sheng Yi reached two years of age last May, he added.
Huang also shared that Yi Yi’s name translated to “friendship”, while Sheng Yi’s meant “peace and friendship”.
Also present during the ceremony today were China’s ambassador to Malaysia, Ouyang Yujing, and Malaysian Zoological Society president Datuk Seri Zaharin Md Arif.
The cubs are two of three offspring of Xing Xing and Liang Liang – pandas that were loaned in 2014 to mark the 40-year anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations.
The loan is for 10 years, starting from the pair’s arrival in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Nuan Nuan, the eldest cub born on August 18, 2015, was repatriated in 2017. – August 29, 2023