AdvertisementAdvertisementA 4-month-old cub called Yuan Meng, which means "the realization of a wish" or "accomplishment of a dream", is pictured during its naming ceremony at the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, France on Dec 4 2017. Yuan Meng, the first panda ever born in France, bid farewell to the French zoo where it grew up and set off on Jul 25 2023, for its new home in China. (Photo: AP/Thibault Camus)23 Sep 2025 04:15AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST TOURS, France: Two pandas at a zoo in central France will return to China in November after the female was diagnosed with kidney failure, the park's director told AFP on Monday (Sep 22).Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi arrived at the Beauval Zoo in 2012 as part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, which sees the black-and-white bears dispatched across the globe as soft-power ambassadors.The two pandas, both 17, had been due to stay in France until January 2027 but they will return to the Chengdu panda sanctuary, said zoo director Rodolphe Delord, adding that the zoo had been in touch with the Chinese authorities."The female has kidney failure, a chronic disease common in ageing carnivores. We therefore prefer to transport her to China before her condition worsens," he told AFP, adding she still showed a good appetite and normal behaviour.Delord said Huan Huan and Yuan Zi were expected to return to China in November 2025 "so they can live out their retirement in peace".The pair produced three cubs while in France, the first pandas to do so in the country, and became star attractions at the Beauval zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher.There's more to Chengdu than just pandas: How to have a chic getaway in this Sichuan cityChina giant pandas debut to much fanfare at Washington DC's zooFinland zoo returns giant pandas to China over costThe eldest of the offspring, Yuan Meng, left France in 2024, while twins born in 2021 are expected to remain at the Beauval zoo for the time being "to raise visitors' awareness of the need to protect this iconic species", Delord said.The giant panda was downgraded last year from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the global list of at-risk species.Delord said he hoped to extend the zoo's partnership with China beyond 2027."And perhaps bring more pandas in the future," he added.The Beauval Zoo welcomed some two million visitors in 2023, generating revenues of around US$133 million.Source: AFP/fsSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST