Does the panda want to go back to China?

PARK JONG-MOO
The author is a veterinarian.

On March 3, visitors stood in line at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi, to see the panda Fu Bao one last time. Fu Bao was born in July 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, to Ai Bao and Le Bao. The panda is a popular animal as proven by the success of the animated film Kung Fu Panda.

Fu Bao was especially loved by Koreans because she is the first panda to be born here, but the bear must be returned to China before turning 4 years old under an agreement with the Chinese government regarding pandas, an endangered animal. On March 3, the theme park held a final public viewing before preparations for her return.

After the return was announced, visitors flocked to see Fu Bao. Some waited more than five hours to see the panda just for five minutes. It was the last chance to see the cute animal, especially her bright eyes. Some even cried and wished her a happy life in China.

How would Fu Bao herself feel about getting so many visitors and going back to China? Animals that live in tribes feel stressed when their group changes. Fortunately, as pandas do not live in groups, the stress from the change would be minimal for Fu Bao.

And yet, changes in the environment are very stressful for pandas. For Fu Bao, Everland is her home where she was born and raised. She has become accustomed to the zookeepers there. Going to an unfamiliar place, away from her caregivers, will be a greatly stressful for Fu Bao.

While China argues that it is an inevitable measure to preserve the endangered animal, pandas face the risk of extinction due to the reckless destruction of their habitats for development.

The same applies to more than 2 million species that are currently endangered. Pandas run the risk of extinction because of humans. It would be hard for Fu Bao to leave the very place where she was born and raised.