Giant panda back from S Korea to soon meet public in Chengdu

Fu Bao at Wolong Shenshuping Base in Sichuan province. (LI CHUANYOU/FOR CHINA DAILY)

The giant panda Fu Bao, who has returned from South Korea and is now in environmental adaptation in Southwest China's Sichuan province, will meet the public from June, China Central Television reported on Tuesday.

Fu Bao is the first giant panda born in South Korea, in 2020, to Ai Bao and Le Bao — the pair of pandas leased by China to South Korea in 2016.

Fu Bao returned to Chengdu, Sichuan province, on April 3 and finished a month-long quarantine on May 4 at the province's Shenshuping giant panda base under the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda.

According to the base, Fu Bao is now in environmental adaptation period — which is usually longer than the quarantine period — at the base.

As each panda is different in adapting to the new environment, climate, food and breeder teams, the base, where there are specially designed enclosures with windows, helps Fu Bao get familiar with sounds and smells of neighboring pandas.

Such special design also enables breeders to closely follow Fu Bao's condition at the base in case Fu Bao shows any stress, the base said, adding that Fu Bao is in good condition so far.