Giant panda YaYa celebrates 23th birthday at Beijing Zoo

(ECNS) -- Giant panda Ya Ya celebrated its 23rd birthday at the Beijing Zoo on Thursday. This is its first birthday celebrated in its homeland China after it returned from the U.S.

The Beijing Zoo posted its birthday photos on Chinese social platform Weibo. Many Chinese netizens gave their best wishes to Ya Ya. The zoo has decorated the venue where the giant panda lives, prepared balls made of bamboo and customized a cake for her.

Meanwhile, in order to celebrate the 23rd birthday, the zoo also released an online commemorative seal, with the giant panda surrounded by bamboo and daylilies, hoping she can grow healthily.

It returned to China from the United States on April 20 after a 20-year loan for joint research and conservation project. It aroused widespread concern in January after netizens found it looked very skinny.

On April 27, Ya Ya arrived in Shanghai from the Memphis Zoo of Tennessee. The panda was then quarantined before moving to Beijing. And on May 29, it returned to its home at Beijing Zoo.

The giant panda is now in good health condition.