France bids farewell to giant panda

French first lady Brigitte Macron bid farewell to Yuan Meng at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Tuesday afternoon shortly before the first giant panda born in France took off on a 12-hour flight to Chengdu, Sichuan province, to join a panda breeding and conservation program.

As Yuan Meng's "godmother "since his birth on Aug 4, 2017, Brigitte visited the panda at Beauval Zoo in central France in May after hearing about his upcoming departure. She announced the name Yuan Meng, which means "dreams come true" in Chinese, at a ceremony in December 2017.

Giant pandas born outside China belong to China and must be sent to join the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding when they are between 2 and 4 years old. Yuan Meng's departure at age 4 had been delayed for almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.