According to Japan's "Asahi Shimbun" on December 27, the Kobe Municipal Prince Zoo announced on the same day that the date of the return of the 28-year-old panda "Dandan" to China has been postponed for another year, and it is scheduled to return at the end of December 2024.
The Kobe City Prince Zoo said that after this fall, "Dandan" was unable to eat bamboo due to worsening heart disease and other reasons, and his physical fitness declined and he had no appetite. Keepers can only mix liquid food with medicine and let it eat. "Dandan" spends more than ninety percent of his time sleeping every day and spending his days quietly. The keeper also said that when the "Dandan" was examined, although it also changed its posture, it was unable to concentrate and sometimes did not follow the instructions.
Yuji Kako, director of the Kobe City Prince Zoo, believes that Dandan's condition has not improved, and there may be a great risk in transporting it back to China. China and Japan agreed to extend the return date and give priority to medical treatment.
Dan Dan" was loaned from Sichuan to Kobe, Japan in 2000 and is now 28 years old, which is equivalent to a "grandmother" in her 80s. "Dandan" was originally scheduled to return to China in 2020, but it was postponed due to the epidemic. In 2021, due to the diagnosis of heart disease, the return date was extended several times, and a total of 4 times have been postponed before.