By SHINICHI KATSUBE/ Staff Writer
June 28, 2025 at 18:32 JST
SHIRAHAMA, Wakayama Prefecture--Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell to a family of four giant pandas heading back to China.
On June 28, it was the turn of 300 staff at Adventure World here to bid sayonara to the animals that had captured their hearts.
A 24-year-old female named Rauhin and her daughters, Yuihin, 8, Saihin, 6, and Fuhin, 4, were all born at Adventure World, but are returning to China because the animals are owned by China.
The four pandas were placed in cages and loaded onto two trucks.
Zoo staff said the animals behaved as normal.
At a departure ceremony, Koji Imazu, the park’s director, said, “Let us all do our best so that we can show our guests the new faces of Adventure World. Let us see off the pandas with smiles.”
On June 27, the last day the pandas were made available to the public, about 3,000 people who had made advance applications gathered at Adventure World to get one final look.
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Adventure World visitors on June 27 take a last photo of Rauhin, one of the four giant pandas to depart Japan. (Shinnosuke Ito)
