2.21″ Finally Returns to China…Shanshan: “Five Years as a Naughty Panda

It has finally been decided that Shanshan, the star panda of the Ueno Zoo (Taito-ku, Tokyo), will be returned to China on February 21 this year.

Shanshan was born in Japan, but according to an agreement, ownership of the panda belongs to China. Originally, Shan Shan was to be returned at 24 months of age, but due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the return trip had to be postponed five times.

It was fortunate that the zoo was able to see the adorable animal for five years after its birth, but it will be sad to say goodbye to it. We asked Mr. Naoya Ohashi of the Ueno Zoo’s Education and Extension Division about his memories.

When Shanshan was born, we had a lottery system for the public viewing. When Shanshan was born, we used to hold openings by lottery, and the ratio could be as high as 80 times on Saturdays and Sundays. After the numbered-ticket system was introduced, the wait was as long as 150 minutes. She was truly loved by men and women of all ages.”

Mr. Ohashi, who has watched Shanshan grow up since she was a baby, says of her mischievous childhood, “When Shanshan was a child, she was very naughty.

When Shan Shan was a child, she once approached her mother, Shin Shin, who was eating food, and tried to take it away from her, which made her angry. Pandas are basically solitary animals. Shanshan also started living alone, away from her mother, when she was one and a half years old, so I was relieved to see the smiling interaction between parent and child, which can only be seen when they are small.”

Shanshan’s mischievous nature sometimes annoyed her caretakers.

Shanshan has loved to climb trees since she was a little girl. One time, she even climbed to the top of a tree. It was very difficult for her to get down from the tree. It was hard to get her down before the keepers had to leave.

Shanshan has grown up healthy and free of major illnesses, but he has many likes and dislikes about food, which made it difficult for his keepers.

She is a panda, so her staple food is bamboo, but Shanshan’s preference for bamboo was more intense than that of other cubs. Even with the same lot of bamboo, she would not eat it the next day, and her preferences would change from time to time. Therefore, we always have to prepare various kinds of bamboo. It was very difficult to secure food, and it cost me more than other kids to feed him.”

She started to walk, climbed a tree for the first time, started to eat an apple along with her milk, and eventually started to live by herself. …… Mr. Ohashi was pleased to see her growth next to him as if she were his own child. How does he feel about Shanshan leaving Japan?

He said, “She lives at the zoo, but pandas are wild animals. I will miss her, but as a zoo, we value the preservation of pandas, so I really hope that she will return to China and leave her offspring there.

Shanshan will go to China with the great mission of conservation and promotion of breeding. That is why the people of the park send her off with smiles on their faces and memories of the past. Perhaps one day in the near future, we will be able to see Shanshan’s offspring.

From the February 3, 2023 issue of FRIDAY