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       Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China

       The playful, waddling bears charmed millions of people at the Edinburgh Zoo of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

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       A large panda seen in its enclosure at the Edinburgh Zoo in Britain in 2020. The country will return its pandas to China after about 12 years of having them as zoo residents. Credit...Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

       By Eduardo Medina

       Nov. 29, 2023

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       Britain’s only two pandas will soon be returned to China, officials said, in a send-off that has dispirited fans of the playful, waddling bears and signals what appears to be the end, at least for now, of panda diplomacy.

       “Bamboo bon voyage,” the Edinburgh Zoo of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said on its website, noting that there would be “a giant farewell” on Thursday for the bears, whose names are Yang Guang and Tian Tian.

       The pair of giant pandas will be prepared to return to China in the first week of December, the zoo said, though it did not specify a date because of “security and safety reasons.”

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       Eduardo Medina is a reporter covering breaking news. More about Eduardo Medina

       A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 1, 2023, Section A , Page 11 of the New York edition with the headline: A ‘Giant Farewell’ in Britain for Pandas Returning to China . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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