In the heart of Seoul, beneath a melancholic drizzle of rain, a throng of onlookers gathered at the Everland amusement park to offer an emotional farewell to a creature of grandeur and charm. Fu Bao, a giant panda that had captured the hearts of Korea, was poised to embark on her journey back to China.
Named Fu Bao, her moniker translated to ‘lucky treasure’, which was fitting given the wide-eyed wonder she imparted on visitors since her birth in 2020, unmistakably making her a major attraction at the Everland theme park. Born to parent pandas, Ai Bao and Le Bao, who found their abode in Korea on a 15-year lease program from China in 2016, the sweet cherubic panda Fu Bao was every bit a treasure.
Enshrining the notion of diplomatic goodwill that transcends political barriers, China has a long-standing practice of lending pandas to other nations. However, it retained ownership rights over these adorable creatures and their offspring, symbolizing a shared commitment towards species protection. The efforts indeed bore fruit as the number of these snow-white and coal-black beauties burgeoned over several decades, avoiding the brimstone precipice of extinction. From grueling times of fewer than a thousand pandas, to the now-thriving population exceeding 1,800 both in the wild and in captivity, it’s a success story of conservation, indeed!
This particular Wednesday, though sheathed under a rain-soaked veil, the infectious spirit of panda aficionados was hard to miss as they congregated at Everland Park for a heartfelt farewell. Unfazed by the rain, they mustered courage to say their goodbyes to Fu Bao, all set to jet off to China later in the day.
Accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain on a cacophony of umbrellas and raincoats, a truck with Fu Bao took a slow sojourn across the park plaza. A stunning tableau of bittersweet farewells unfolded as the bystanders waved their flags, voiced their parting messages, and captured these poignant moments with a series of clicks on their mobile phones. Their emotional sentiment manifested in silent tears wiped away surreptitiously and occasional loud cries.
Adorned eloquently, like a moving tribute, the truck bore a massive picture of Fu Bao with a touchingly simple message—”It was a miracle that we met you. Thank you, Fu Bao”. Closely guarded, Fu Bao wasn’t presented for public viewing that day, her last public appearance being on March 3.
Zookeeper Kang Cheol-won, animated by the spirit of the ceremony, said in a sensible voice, heavy with emotion “You are our baby panda forever even if 10 years pass or 100 years pass. Dear all, Fu Bao is now leaving. Please, remember Fu Bao for a long, long time … and please don’t cry much!”
As South Korea waves goodbye to one beloved panda, it has even more to celebrate. Fu Bao’s mother, Ai Bao, gifted the park with the birth of female twin cubs just last year—the first panda twins born in South Korea, ensuring the country remains under the spell of panda magic.
