Chinanews.com, March 14 (Sweet Wang Xinran) Recently, the situation of the giant panda "Yaya" at the Memphis Zoo in the United States has attracted attention, and netizens have expressed their hope that Yaya will "return home as soon as possible". A document on the website of the Federal Register shows that "Yaya" is one step closer to returning home!
Screenshot of the "Yaya" video released by Memphis Zoo on February 9, 2022.
Memphis Zoo submits an application
The publicity period is 31 days
Documents show that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) received an application from the Memphis Zoo with license number PER1642140.
Image source: Screenshot of the Federal Register website
The specific content of the application is: "The applicant applies for the transfer of the remains of a female giant panda bred in captivity, the remains of a male giant panda, and the biological samples taken from the body of the giant panda to a zoo in China to promote the breeding or survival of the species." ”
The application also reads: "This notice only applies to a single re-export. ”
Image source: Screenshot of the Federal Register website
According to the website, the public period for this document officially began on March 13 and lasted for 31 days, ending on April 12.
Image source: Screenshot of the Federal Register website
According to reports, after the end of the publicity period, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will issue a license and publish a notice in the Federal Register. At that time, you can use the license number to check the license notice on the U.S. Government Documents website (www.regulations.gov).
The "remains of male giant pandas" mentioned in the application allegedly refer to "Lele". "Lele" was born in 1998 and arrived at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee in 2003 to begin his career in the United States.
Image source: Screenshot of the official Memphis Zoo Twitter
In February 2023, the Memphis Zoo announced the death of "Lele". The zoo said that "Lele" left peacefully while sleeping. Over the past 20 years, Lele has brought joy to millions of tourists and is a symbol of the U.S.-China partnership to protect giant pandas, the statement said.
The "female giant panda" mentioned in the application refers to "Yaya", who was born in 2000 and lived with "Lele" in Memphis Zoo, Tennessee, United States in April 2003.
Netizens called for speeding up the completion of the procedures:
"We can't afford to lose Yaya again"
As soon as the news came out, netizens left messages one after another, expressing their expectation that "Yaya" would return home as soon as possible.
Image source: Social media screenshots
There are also netizens who hope to speed up the publicity process, complete various procedures as soon as possible, and send "Yaya" home.
Image source: Social media screenshots
Some netizens said: "Yaya's current state is not very good, I don't know how long she can wait." The netizen called on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to process the application submitted by the Memphis Zoo as soon as possible so that Yaya can return to China as soon as possible.
Image source: Social media screenshots
Some netizens posted that paying attention to the situation of "Yaya" in front of the camera every day, feeling "heartbroken", "we have lost Lele, we can no longer lose Yaya", hoping that "Yaya" can return to China as soon as possible for treatment, and called on all parties to show support.
Image source: Social media screenshots
As part of the Sino-US joint conservation and research program for giant pandas, Yaya and Lele arrived at Memphis Zoo in 2003 to begin their careers in the United States, bringing countless joys to visitors.
The term of the agreement is 10 years, which is extended for another 10 years after it expires in 2013. On December 21, 2022, Memphis Zoo announced that it would return Yaya and Lele to China, ending the 20-year lease.
Image source: Social media screenshots
Unexpectedly, on February 2, 2023, "Lele" unfortunately passed away at the age of 25. In the past few days, while people have mourned and grieved for "Lele", they are more eager to hope that "Yaya" can return home as soon as possible.
In this regard, the website of the China Zoo Association recently released news that in order to effectively protect the health status of "Yaya", in accordance with the requirements of the relevant national authorities, the China Zoo Association has arranged experts to assist in the care of "Yaya" in Memphis Zoo.
Beijing Zoo will send veterinarians and keepers to the United States in the near future to familiarize themselves with the breeding of giant pandas "Yaya", and work with Memphis Zoo to do a good job in the breeding and care of giant pandas "Yaya" and escort "Yaya" back to China. After continuous and close monitoring by technical experts from both sides, the health of giant panda "Yaya" is stable and the breeding management is normal.
China and the United States have been actively discussing ways and means to speed up the procedures for the return of giant pandas to China, and strive to bring Yaya back to China at an early date. At present, the Chinese side has completed all the examination and approval matters, and the Beijing Zoo has made various preparations to welcome the "Yaya" home in terms of breeding grounds, breeding plans, medical security, and feed supply. (End)