Japanese-born giant panda Xiang Xiang appeared in an online video Monday, nearly two months after large crowds bid farewell to the 5-year-old bear as she departed for China.
The video, posted on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, by a giant panda research center in Sichuan Province, showed the animal eating bamboo shoots in front of a white tile wall. The center says it will slowly acclimate Xiang Xiang to her new environment before allowing visits from the public.
Born at the Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo in June 2017 from a pair of pandas on loan from China, Xiang Xiang was the first naturally conceived giant panda at the zoo.
While her time in Japan was originally set to conclude once she turned 2, her loan was extended five times due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Xiang Xiang became hugely popular in Japan, with the number of applicants wanting to see her debut in the same year exceeding the available spots by 46 times.
Over 300 people gathered at Narita airport near Tokyo in February to witness her departure.
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