Is Fubao really leaving...talks with China on return begin

▲얼음 평상 뒤에서 대나무 먹는 푸바오 (연합뉴스)

Everland and China have begun discussions on the return of Fubao, a naturally-bred giant panda born in South Korea.

"In our agreement with China on pandas, the return date is 'before the age of four,'" Everland Zoo President Jung Dong-hee said at a press briefing on Thursday, adding, "We started discussions with the Chinese side last month when Pupao celebrated his third birthday, but we have not yet received a concrete answer."

According to the agreement, Fubao, who was born on July 20, 2020, must be returned to China before July 20, 2024, when he turns four. "As for the timing of Pu Bao's return, we are cautiously expecting it to be in February or April, around March, as there have been cases in the past of Liu Bao and Aibao coming home in March, and May and July are rather hot," Zheng said.

Under the Washington Treaty, China owns all of the world's pandas and exports them on loan to other countries. Fubao was born in July 2020 to giant pandas Aibao and Lovao, who were brought to South Korea in 2016, but ownership remains with the Chinese government, and the panda must return to China as an adult when it reaches the age of four.

Everland is in talks with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which is responsible for wildlife management and policy in China, and Everland's panda research partner, the China Center for Giant Panda Conservation and Research.

Zookeeper Kang Wen, known as "Panda Grandpa," also attended the briefing.

"Since I first met Fubao, I've always known that we would have to say goodbye to him one day, and I think it's right for him to go to China, so I'm not too sad about it," said Kang. "Even if we send him to China, I will never forget him and remember him forever."

▲24일 오전 경기도 용인시 에버랜드에서 건강하게 여름을 보낸 꼬마 판다 푸바오가 사육사들이 준비한 얼음 장화를 바라보고 있다. (연합뉴스)

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