Belgium's beloved pandas leave home for a grown-up life abroad

CGTN Europe

10 years ago, Pairi Daiza welcomed two new pandas. Now their three offspring are heading to China to make their own lives. CGTN’s Will Denselow reports.  #panda

Transcript

00:00Folks here knew this day would come.

00:02The arrangement was that when these panda cubs hit the age of four,

00:06they'd return back to China.

00:08But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that date was delayed.

00:12That is why one of the pandas is now eight years old.

00:15The twins, they are both five.

00:17But the time has finally come for them to return to China.

00:21And for audiences, the public here,

00:24it's really an opportunity to say their final goodbyes.

00:28For the zookeepers, they say it's very sad,

00:30but they say that it's in their own interest of the pandas to head back to China

00:34so they can start families of their own.

00:37Now comes a period of about a month of quarantine.

00:40They say they're making sure that the pandas are totally healthy

00:43before that long trip back to China.

00:46The parents will remain here at the zoo.

00:49The hope is that because of the breeding program that's in effect,

00:52while people today are saying goodbye,

00:55hopefully in the future, people here will be welcoming some new faces.

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