A visitor takes a photo of a stuffed panda while waiting to see the giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before their return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. A signboard, rear, in Japanese reads; "The admission for viewing has ended." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors wait to see the giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before their return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors watch the giant panda Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before giant panda couple Ri Ri and Shin Shin's return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors watch the giant panda Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before giant panda couple Ri Ri and Shin Shin's return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors take a look at a banner saying " Thank you Ri Ri and Shin Shin, with 5,000 days of gratitude" after they saw the giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before their return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors queue to see the giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before their return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A visitor takes a photo of a stuffed panda while waiting to see the giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before their return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. A signboard, rear, in Japanese reads; "The admission for viewing has ended." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors react after visiting the giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo, a day before their return to China, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
TOKYO (AP) 鈥 Thousands of Japanese fans bid tearful farewell to their beloved panda couple that made their final public appearance at Tokyo鈥檚 Ueno Zoo on Saturday before returning to China for medical treatment.
The pair, are the parents of the park-born idol that had returned home last year.
More than 2,000 visitors, many wearing T-shirts and carrying items decorated by panda motifs, queued outside the zoo hours before the opening. Some said they camped out overnight to secure their chance.
The pandas, both 19 years old, arrived at the Ueno Zoo in 2011. Although their lease is good through 2026, Japan and China agreed to their return home as the aging couple need treatment for high blood pressure, according to the zoo.
Hirono Sasaki, who waited to enter the zoo since 5 a.m., was crying. 鈥淭hey were always my source of comfort, so I鈥檓 feel extremely sad,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 loved seeing Ri Ri climbing trees in her old enclosure. I hope she can climb trees again when she is back in China.鈥
After their hours long wait, visitors were given only a few minutes inside their hut to view the black-and-white animals. Lucky ones could get a glimpse of them nibbling on bamboo branches, but others could only catch them during their naps.
China sends pandas abroad as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over the animals and any cubs they produce. The animals are native to southwestern China and are an unofficial national mascot.
Pandas, which reproduce rarely in the wild and rely on a diet of bamboo, remain among the world鈥檚 most threatened species. An estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild, while another 500 are in zoos or reserves, mostly in Sichuan.
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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.
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The story corrects the name of one of the pandas to Shin Shin.
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