Giant pandas Huan Huan and Yuan Zi return to China

(ECNS) -- Giant panda Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi returned to China on Wednesday from France's Beauval Zoo, while their twin cubs Huan Lili and Yuan Dudu will stay in France until January 2027, according to the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens.

The panda couple, who were sent to France in 2012 for international cooperation on giant panda conservation, landed in Chengdu, Sichuan Province at 7:17 a.m., accompanied by expert keepers from both sides, the association said on its official WeChat account.

To ensure the safe transit of the returning pandas, China dispatched two expert keepers to France ahead of the journey. They worked alongside French experts to carry out a range of tasks including behavioral training, daily health monitoring, disease diagnosis, treatment, and comprehensive assessments for the giant pandas, it said.

(By Zhang Dongfang)