Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in South Korea, has arrived in China and is now in quarantine at a nature reserve in the southwest, where she will join a breeding programme.
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‘Sad to say goodbye’: South Korea’s first panda cub prepares for return to China
‘Sad to say goodbye’: South Korea’s first panda cub prepares for return to China
Fu Bao was accompanied by staff from the Everland zoo near Seoul, who confirmed that she was in “stable health” after a check-up, the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas said in a post on Weibo.
After clearing customs, she was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan, where she will spend a month in quarantine, the research centre said in another post on Thursday.
But her arrival was not without controversy. Concerns were raised on social media over Fu Bao’s treatment at the airport after a video clip showed a person in a staff vest and with no gloves on poking a finger into an air hole of her carrier.
The footage prompted a discussion about the panda’s health and safety, with comments left under the research centre’s posts asking how an airport worker could be allowed to do this.
The research centre responded that the video clip showed “a warm touch from a veterinarian with the panda centre”, that it was a “necessary physical examination”, and that Fu Bao was “fine”.
It said the vet was wearing the staff vest because it was an airport requirement, and that he had disinfected his hands beforehand.
The response drew thousands of comments from Weibo users in both China and South Korea, many asking why a vet was not wearing protective gear and questioning his professionalism.
Others were concerned that people had used cameras with a flash to take pictures of Fu Bao at the airport, which could have frightened the animal.
Fu Bao will spend the next month in an isolated enclosure at the Shenshuping panda base, which has indoor and outdoor areas and “an ample supply of bamboo” and food, the research centre said.
Her health and feeding habits will be monitored to ensure she adapts to her new environment “as quickly as possible”.
It has not yet been confirmed where she will be moved to after the quarantine period is over, according to state media reports.