Beloved panda Fu Bao to meet Chinese visitors again after four months

By KTimes

Giant panda Fu Bao, who sparked health concerns late last year, is returning to public view at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province, China, after nearly four months in isolation.

“Fu Bao will meet you all tomorrow (25th). We’re looking forward to it,” the center said Monday via its official Weibo account, sharing a short video showing the panda's current condition. Fu Bao had shown signs of distress, including convulsions, on Dec. 3 last year and had since been cared for in an off-exhibit area.

The center said it conducted continuous and detailed examinations of Fu Bao and provided customized medical care, concluding that the panda is now in good health. In the video, Fu Bao appears to be eating without issue, a stark contrast to footage from early last year when she trembled while eating bamboo shoots.

The center also said it had disinfected Fu Bao’s habitat and replenished plants and other environmental elements in preparation for her return to public viewing.

Fu Bao was born in July 2020 to Le Bao and Ai Bao, two pandas gifted by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a symbol of friendship between South Korea and China. She was the first panda born in Korea through natural breeding and quickly became a national favorite, nicknamed “Princess Fu” during her time at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. However, Fu Bao was sent back to China last April under the agreement that pandas born overseas must be returned before turning four.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.