YaYa and LeLe

Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, USA had hosted giant panda bears (Scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca), YaYa and LeLe since April 2003. But public concerns regarding their health had grown louder and louder. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Defense of Animals and Panda Voices and even pop singer Billie Eilish had been calling for improving YaYa and LeLe's care and returning them to China. And in December last year, Memphis Zoo agreed. 

 

The latter, a male giant panda however, sadly died on February 03, due to the zoo's blatant neglect and lack of care. 

 

US-based In Defense of Animals reported: “When Memphis Zoo said there was no indication there was anything wrong with LeLe, it was either that their staff really did not notice, which is in itself extremely worrisome, given that they are supposed to oversee the health of the animals in their charge, or they were not being transparent. Memphis Zoo staff seems to be so used to the pandas being passive and begging for food that even LeLe's dangerous health symptoms appeared normal, or worse, ‘dramatic’ or ‘silly’ to them, as they described. 

 

Videos recorded on January 15, January 25, and the last day of his life on January 31, show that LeLe was obviously very weak, eating too little, and that he found nothing palatable around him. He fell to the floor and slept. Despite being terribly weak, he still tried to beg for food. If the zoo was really watching their cams (staff had claimed that the pandas are always being monitored either physically or by cam), staff should have seen indications that LeLe was unwell. 

 

Another video recorded on September 29, 2022, shows LeLe as lethargic and having severe diarrhea, which raises questions as to whether his health problems started months ago and escalated in January, culminating in his emaciated, weak, and skinny appearance, and ultimately, his death”. 

 

China’s Global Times on March 19 wrote: “A video taken by netizens in the US at the end of February showing Ya Ya's living conditions at the Memphis Zoo has raised concerns among netizens about her health, and they have been calling for her to be brought home to China. 

 

In the video, the bamboo provided by the zoo looked difficult for Ya Ya to swallow, and the skinny panda is forced to beg for food from visitors. YaYa's thin physique and dirty living conditions have caused concerns among netizens”. 

 

In fact, In Defense of Animals believed that the female panda was malnourished and showed signs of skin disease, and zoochosis, which is a condition animals in captivity exhibit with abnormal behavior due to mental stress. 

 

Thankfully, nothing untoward happened to YaYa and on April 26, she left the US of A to embark on her journey home to China. 

 

Under Beijing Zoo's care, YaYa made an amazing recovery. They prepared a special breeding facility for her, formulated specific plans for her feeding, nursing, medical care and nutrition, and even organized a special team to continue to take care of her. 

 

According to a video posted on the Beijing Zoo's Weibo account on June 06, YaYa is getting used to her new habitat and is reportedly in stable condition. Netizens were pleasantly surprised by the dramatic change in her condition. 

 

“YaYa's fur is getting thicker, and her mental state is good”, one netizen commented. "Thanks to the staff members of the zoo, YaYa will live a happy life forever". 

 

"Just one month after she returned to China, YaYa is completely different from how she looked at the Memphis Zoo. We hope that YaYa can take a good rest, eat more fresh bamboo and have a wonderful life ahead", another netizen remarked. 

 

Even China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had tweeted: "East or west, home is the best". 

 

The zoo promise to regularly release updates about YaYa on their official Weibo account.