US and China unite in effort to rehabilitate Ya Ya the panda bear

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The United States and People’s Republic of China are cooperating on the return and rehabilitation of a giant panda that has lived in Tennessee for decades.

U.S. officials are working to return Ya Ya, a panda from the Memphis Zoo, to Chinese custody amid concerns for her health.

“The Chinese side has made full preparations for the return of Ya Ya and will coordinate more closely with the US institutions concerned to complete a pre-departure health evaluation and send the giant panda safely home as soon as possible once the export permit is issued,” China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Tuesday.

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Ya Ya, a Giant Panda is shown at the Memphis Zoo Saturday, April 8, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. About five hundred people attended a farewell party for the Panda.  (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)

Ya Ya was loaned to the Memphis Zoo in 2003 for a 20-year stint in the U.S. Calls for the panda’s return have grown since the death of her male counterpart Le Le earlier this year. 

Ya Ya has also developed a minor skin condition that has affected her fur growth.

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Students from the Tennessee Happy Kung Fu School play during a farewell party for Ya Ya, a Giant Panda at the Memphis Zoo Saturday, April 8, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)

“At present, an expert from the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens and two technicians from the Beijing Zoo are now working with the Memphis Zoo on the caring of the giant panda and they have got a general understanding of the daily care of Ya Ya,” Wang continued.

Wang stated that despite the skin disease, Chinese officials have found Ya Ya to be in good health.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin answers a question during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

“The overall condition of the giant panda is relatively stable except for the fur condition caused by skin disease. The Chinese side has already made preparations to welcome Ya Ya home in terms of quarantine sites, living quarters, feeding plans, medical care and feed supplies.”

The Memphis Zoo held a farewell party for Ya Ya last week, giving the giant panda a special cake made of sugarcane and grapes.