As previously announced, Giant Panda Xiang Xiang departed for China on February 21, 2023. Xiang Xiang was born at our zoo in 2017 and spent 5 years and 8 months with us, leaving us with many wonderful memories. In this three-part series, we will share some of the details of her quarantine in preparation for her return to China and the events of her departure day.

As the date for Xiang Xiang's return to China was set and various departments made adjustments in preparation for her departure, we, animal keeper, were in charge of on-site operations during the quarantine period conducted by the animal quarantine station, with our top priority being ensuring that Xiang Xiang would be sent off in good health.

When exporting animals, it is necessary to meet the sanitary conditions set by the importing country in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases across borders. For example, when exporting Giant Panda from Japan to China, a 30-day quarantine period is mandated. During this time, the animals are kept indoors, and protective suits are worn by staff in the breeding area to prevent the introduction of diseases from outside.

It wasn't possible to suddenly appear in full protective gear in front of Xiang Xiang on the first day of quarantine, so we made sure she got used to us beforehand by wearing part of the protective suit or by wearing it for short periods of time when meeting her. At first, Xiang Xiang was a little surprised and confused by animal keeper, who was dressed entirely in white and whose face was almost completely hidden, but she probably realized that he was someone she knew. Soon after, she started reacting as she normally would.


Xiang Xiang has become completely accustomed to animal keeper wearing protective suits.
In order to transport the pandas to China, in addition to daily care and management, several tests and medications must be administered to check their health. Most of these could be done as an extension of their regular training, but the only thing that was difficult was the chest X-ray. The X-ray was taken in a room that was a modified part of the birthing room where Xiang Xiang was born.

Xiang Xiang had undergone training over the past few years and had a track record of successful photo shoots, but for some reason, shortly before the quarantine began, she started to lose focus during training or would wander around instead of entering the shooting room, and as a result, the pre-test photo shoots did not go well, and she went into quarantine without success.

Chest X-rays must be taken during the quarantine period, so there wasn't much time to spare. Trying to control my impatience, I proceeded with the scans, but on January 23rd, the scan area was insufficient and it was a failure. The following week, on January 30th, even when I opened the room for the scan, she wouldn't go inside and started wandering around aimlessly. I almost gave up, thinking, "Is it going to be another failure today...?", but with a hopeful heart, I gave Xiang Xiang her favorite panda dumplings and apples as she wandered around, and it seemed to change her mood a little, and I was finally able to guide her into the room. From there, I kept talking to Xiang Xiang to keep her focused, and occasionally gave her extra panda dumplings and apples to maintain her motivation, and with great effort, I managed to complete multiple scans.

It was only about 10 minutes, but it felt like I was negotiating with Xiang Xiang, and combined with the tension, I remember the time feeling incredibly long. As a result of this photoshoot, it was confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her lungs, and one of the objectives for her departure was successfully completed.


A scene of a chest X-ray being taken.
The trainer kept Xiang Xiang in place while feeding her.
The patient has a cassette (a plate containing film) placed against their chest, and a portable X-ray machine is used to take images from behind.
In the next article, we will provide more details about Xiang Xiang's estrus, which was confirmed during quarantine.

[Ueno Zoo West Garden Animal Care and Exhibition Staff]

(March 27, 2023)