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Millions of Chinese watch farewell party for panda soon to come home

Millions of Chinese watch farewell party for panda soon to come home

Giant pandas

Millions of Chinese people watched a farewell party for a 22-year-old female panda in a zoo. Memphis Zoo said goodbye to Ya Ya, a giant panda who would be sent home after 20 years.

Questions were raised about treatment of Ya Ya and her male mate Le Le. Their situation was closely moniored by Chinese people. Le Le died in February.

The zoo has in past faced allegations over the pandas from activists and has denied them saying it was false information.

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According to the zoo, Ya Ya has chronic skin and fur conditions which "occasionally make her hair look thin and patchy".

The farewell party for Ya Ya was attended by 500 people in Tennessee city. The programme included Chinese cultural performances and farewell letters.

The programme was watched live online by many Chinese people.

"Safe travels Ya Ya. You will be missed by so many," read one comment on the zoo's Facebook page.

But other comments were critical of the panda's condition and criticised the zoo.

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