Panda Ya Ya handed over to Chinese experts at Memphis Zoo

Giant panda Ya Ya has been handed over to the Chinese experts at Memphis Zoo to take care of her, in its preparation for the return to China.

The Memphis Zoo said Ya Ya will stay at the zoo until the end of April.

A farewell party was held at the zoo on Saturday with around 500 people attending the event, which featured a demonstration by a local Kung Fu School.

The sendoff marked the end of a 20-year loan agreement with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens that landed Ya Ya in Memphis.

After returning to China, Ya Ya will spend more than a month in Shanghai in quarantine before taking up residence in a new home being built in Beijing Zoo.

(AP)