Puba, Last Day of Public Viewing Today... Leaving for China on the 3rd of Next Month

1154 Days Since First Public Reveal
After Health Management and Quarantine Preparation, Departure to China
Korea's First Born Panda... Loved Nationwide

The giant panda 'Pubao,' who has been loved nationwide, will be publicly shown for the last time on the 3rd. It has been 1,154 days since it was first revealed to visitors on January 4, 2021.

On the afternoon of the 25th of last month, citizens visiting Everland in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, captured images of the panda Fubao, who will be relocated to China in early April. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Everland on that day, Pubao will end its public appearances and receive special health care inside Panda World for the next month. Afterward, it will undergo quarantine preparations, including pre-adaptation training for the transport cage, and return to China on the 3rd of next month.

Pubao was born on July 20, 2020, between the pandas 'Lubao' and 'Aibao,' which Chinese President Xi Jinping sent in March 2016 as a symbol of Korea-China friendship.

Known as the 'first panda born in Korea' and named to mean 'a treasure that brings happiness,' Pubao lived in Everland's Panda Land and was affectionately called 'Yongin Pussi,' 'Pugongju,' and 'Putuntun,' receiving much love.

Especially during the anxiety and isolation caused by the spread of COVID-19, Pubao brought laughter and emotion to many exhausted people with its uniquely bright expression and cute gestures, gaining explosive popularity.

A short video of Pubao arm-in-arm on a date with its caretaker Kang Baow, Kang Cheol-won, surpassed 22 million views, and even so-called 'homma'?fans who usually specialize in photographing idol singers?followed, creating an unprecedented 'fandom' phenomenon for an animal.

Baby panda Fu Bao / Photo by Asia Economy DB

Last weekend, a huge crowd gathered at Everland to see Pubao's final appearance, with posts confirming that people waited up to four hours for just five minutes of viewing.

Pubao will be relocated to the 'Giant Panda Conservation Research Center' in Sichuan Province, China, next month. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), pandas born overseas must return to China before turning four years old to mate with other pandas.

According to Everland, about 5.4 million visitors have visited Panda World from January 2021 to last February. Sales of 'goods' such as dolls and headbands reached approximately 2.7 million items. As of the 3rd, Everland's official YouTube channel has about 1.27 million subscribers, becoming the first in the domestic travel and leisure industry to surpass one million subscribers in July last year. Pubao-related hashtags on Instagram have also exceeded 150,000 posts as of that day.