French zoo returns poorly panda and partner to China

Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi arrived at the Beauval Zoo in 2012 as part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, which sees the black-and-white bears dispatched across the globe as soft-power ambassadors.

The two pandas, both 17, had been due to stay in France until January 2027 but they will return to the Chengdu panda sanctuary, said zoo director Rodolphe Delord, adding that the zoo had been in touch with the Chinese authorities.

"The female has kidney failure, a chronic disease common in ageing carnivores. We therefore prefer to transport her to China before her condition worsens," he told AFP, adding she still showed a good appetite and normal behaviour.

Delord said Huan Huan and Yuan Zi were expected to return to China in November 2025 "so they can live out their retirement in peace".

The pair produced three cubs while in France -- the first pandas to do so in the country -- and became star attractions at the Beauval zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher.

The eldest of the offspring, Yuan Meng, left France in 2024, while twins born in 2021 are expected to remain at the Beauval zoo for the time being "to raise visitors' awareness of the need to protect this iconic species", Delord said.

The giant panda was downgraded last year from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the global list of at-risk species.

Delord said he hoped to extend the zoo's partnership with China beyond 2027.

"And perhaps bring more pandas in the future," he added.

The Beauval Zoo welcomed some two million visitors in 2023, generating revenues of around 113 million euros ($133 million).