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Beijing Bids Adieu to Visiting Pandas

They shift to a Sichuan reserve while their damaged home is rebuilt

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Mar 23, 2009 3:25 AM CDT

(Newser) – Beijing's "Olympic pandas"—which drew 2 million fans during their 10-month stay in the city's zoo—have been returned to Sichuan Province, Xinhua reports. Their original habitat was damaged in last May's earthquake, so the pack of eight will reside in a panda reserve for now. Several will return to Beijing when China celebrates its 60th anniversary in two months.

A worker looks at a giant panda in a cage placed on a vehicle to leave the Beijing Zoo yesterday.
A worker looks at a giant panda in a cage placed on a vehicle to leave the Beijing Zoo yesterday.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Wen)
In this Oct. 30, 2008 file photo, 20-year-old panda Qi Hao, a survivor of the May Sichuan earthquake, is caged for a thorough physical examination.
In this Oct. 30, 2008 file photo, 20-year-old panda Qi Hao, a survivor of the May Sichuan earthquake, is caged for a thorough physical examination.   (AP Photo/File)
Visitors look at a giant panda through the protective glass of a renovated panda hall inside a zoo in Beijing.
Visitors look at a giant panda through the protective glass of a renovated panda hall inside a zoo in Beijing.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
A giant panda eats bamboo inside a renovated panda hall at a zoo in Beijing last summer. They were brought into the city as part of the Summer Olympics festivities.
A giant panda eats bamboo inside a renovated panda hall at a zoo in Beijing last summer. They were brought into the city as part of the Summer Olympics festivities.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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