People were flocking to Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Friday to view a pair of giant pandas, two days ahead of their scheduled return to China.
Male Ri Ri and female Shin Shin turned 19 years old this year. Due to their advanced age, the pandas are set to depart for China early on Sunday to spend the rest of their life in their motherland.
Visitors braved light rain and formed a long line before the zoo opened Friday morning.
Messages from zookeepers who took care of the pandas and others are on display. These fondly looked back on the days they spent with the animals and expressed gratitude to them.
A visitor said she met the pandas on the day they made their debut in the zoo in 2011. Northeastern Japan was hit by the major earthquake disaster in March that year. She said she thanked the two pandas for helping buoy the national sentiment when the country was mired in hopelessness.
Saturday is scheduled to be the last day for people to view the pandas at the zoo.