South Koreans said an emotional goodbye to this beloved panda

A large crowd, some crying, visited a rain-soaked amusement park in South Korea to bid farewell to a cherished big panda before she left for China.

On Wednesday, a sizable crowd — some of whom were in tears — flocked to a South Korean theme park drenched in rain to bid farewell to a beloved huge panda before she departed for China. Fu Bao was born in 2020 at the Everland theme park south of Seoul, and since then, she has grown in popularity there. Panda Ai Bao and Panda Le Bao, her parents, came from China in 2016 as part of a 15-year lease agreement. 

China transports pandas overseas as a goodwill gesture, but the animals and their progeny remain under Chinese ownership. Pandas' population has grown from less than 1,000 at one point to over 1,800 due to research in captivity and conservation efforts. South Koreans braved rain to attend Fu Bao's goodbye ceremony at Everland Park before boarding an aircraft to China. 

Tourists waved flags, shouted goodbyes, and took pictures with their phones as a truck carrying Fu Bao made its way to a plaza in pouring rain. The truck was painted with the phrase "It was a miracle that we met you" and a large picture of Fu Bao. However, she was not shown to the public on Wednesday and last appeared in the park on March 3.