TOKYO: The Tokyo metropolitan government has said that the return of Xiang Xiang, the 4-year-old female giant panda at Ueno Zoo in the Japanese capital, to China will be put off until the end of June 2022 from the end of this month.

The metropolitan government and the Chinese side agreed on the postponement, because the transportation of Xiang Xiang to China and travel by staff personnel accompanying her will be difficult due to flight restrictions reflecting the novel coronavirus crisis, according to the Tokyo government’s announcement Tuesday.

Xiang Xiang was born to her mother, Shin Shin, and her farther, Ri Ri, in June 2017 at the Tokyo government-run zoo. Xiang Xiang was initially scheduled to be returned to China in June 2019, when she was 2 years old.

But the schedule was put off by one and a half year as a result of negotiations between the Tokyo government and the Chinese side, and was then postponed twice due to the COVID-19 fallout.

“Xiang Xiang is now slated to stay at Ueno (Zoo) for some more time,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters Tuesday. Currently, viewing of Xiang Xiang requires prior reservations.

JIJI Press