Japan Data
Entertainment International exchanges 09/27/2024
Shin Shin and Ri Ri from Ueno Zoo will have to return to China on September 29, after 13 years in the Archipelago. And after the departure of famous dad Ei Mei last year and female Xiang Xiang, which pandas still live in Japan?
On September 29, the two giant pandas Shin Shin (female) and Ri Ri (male), celebrities from the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, will have to return to China. The last day to come see them is September 28.
These two pandas were born in China in 2005 and were loaned to Japan in 2011. The agreement with the CWCA (China Wildlife Conservation Association) says that the zoo can keep them until February 20, 2026. But because of their advanced age and some health concerns, it was decided that it would be better for them to come for treatment in their native country.
Shin Shin and Ri Ri have three children: Xiang Xiang (female), born in 2017, Lei Lei (female) and Xiao Xiao (male), twins born in 2021. Xiang Xiang was returned to China in 2023 under the terms of the agreement. With the return of Shin Shin and Ri Ri, only the twins will remain at the zoo, and they must leave for China by February 20, 2026, which only leaves them a year and a half to pass through the zoo.
The daddy of the panda kingdom has returned home
The park currently includes four pandas: Ei Mei’s former partner, Rau Hin (female) and their three children: Yui Hin, Sai Hin and Fû Hin (all female).
The female Tan Tan was loaned by China to the Ôji Zoo in Kobe in July 2000 as a sign of support for the region hit by the earthquake of January 1995. She died in March 2024 at the age of 28. Tan Tan gave birth twice. One of the babies was unfortunately stillborn, and the other died shortly after giving birth. There are therefore no longer any pandas in this zoo today.
