Ya Ya and Le Le will return to China after alleged mistreatment at Memphis Zoo in US

SHAH ALAM - China will be welcoming back the two giant pandas that were loaned to a zoo in the United States after an alleged mistreatment of the wildlife reported by animal activists.

In February, a video of the animals pacing in their nest was released by In Defense of Animals (IDA) with the organising alleging that the zoo was guilty of mistreating the animals.

The South China Morning Post reported that the pandas, named Ya Ya and Le Le, would be returned to the mainland by early next year as stated by the Memphis Zoo on Dec 21.

This comes after a 20-year long loan between the zoo and the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens came to an end.

The two pandas had lived in the foreign country since 2003 with Ya Ya now aged 24 and Le Le, 23.

Moreover, the Zoo’s alleged mistreatment also garnered attention and concern from the Chinese public that now welcomes the news of the pandas return.

China’s Weibo users expressed concerns about the panda’s weight and how they looked like they were suffering there.

Some users wanted the pandas to be sent back immediately, preferably before the Lunar New Year.

The Memphis Zoo eventually back-pedalled the accusations, saying that it was part of an agreement with China which required the foreign zoos to let the pandas spend their final days on Chinese grounds.

According to the zoo’s spokesperson, Ya Ya and Le Le’s age had reached more than their life expectancy under human care for more than 10 years.