Yangzhou bids farewell to giant panda Yingmei

A banner reading "Goodbye Yingmei" hangs at the zoo in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua]

Giant panda, Yingmei, left her home of seven years in the city of Yangzhou, to fly thousands of kilometers back to her birthplace in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, Southwest China, May 17. 

Much like humans in their sixth decade, the 15-year-old panda will spend her twilight years in her hometown after a midlife spent in the livable lower reaches of the Yangtze River. 

Yingmei appears to be in good health, the results of her latest monthly physical checkup showing no abnormalities. 

"Yingmei now weighs 90 kilograms, a bit more than she used to, but her eyes are bright and clear, teeth and paws healthy, and fur soft and fluffy," said Jiang Feng, Yingmei’s main breeder in Yangzhou. 

Jiang was not willing to say goodbye to his "old friend", and local residents were also reluctant.