Focus

Greeting bilingual bear was a 'magic moment'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-11 07:52

Yumiko Kajiwara makes special cakes for the pandas at Chengdu's breeding base. Provided to China Daily

The time spent at the Chengdu breeding base ahead of the Project Panda final on Sept 29 was an unforgettable experience for all 12 finalists.

Yet, for Yumiko Kajiwara, the "magic moment" was when one animal at the center responded to his Japanese name.

The base has 97 giant pandas, including Xiongbang, Longbang, Qiubang and Xingbang, who are all offspring of Mei Mei, a panda loaned to Japan by the Chinese government in 2000 as a symbol of friendship.

The brothers were born at the Wakayama Adventure World in Shirahama but all were eventually returned to China under the agreement of the international panda-breeding program.

"I visited them frequently when they were in Shirahama," said Kajiwara, a 35-year-old former advertising agent. "One of the important goals I had apart from winning the contest was meeting all the pandas in Chengdu born in my country."

Xiongbang, the eldest of the four brothers, was the first to return from Japan in 2004. He was 2 years old.

Kajiwara said her team got a chance to clean out Xiongbang's enclosure on the second day of the pre-final training week. When they had finished, she approached the panda with special protein cakes. They first called the panda's Chinese name, as taught by the professional keepers at the base, to encourage him to come closer.

"No matter how many times we called him, though, he just sat there and ignored us," said Kajiwara. "Maybe we were pronouncing his Chinese name wrong.

"So I used his Japanese name - Yuhin - like I used to do in Shirahama and he turned his head and looked at me like he really understood me," she said excitedly. "I was thrilled that after so many years he still remembers his Japanese name."

Now, as one of the pambassadors, it is Kajiwara's job to update Japanese fans on the progress of Xiongbang and his three brothers.

"I posted their pictures and videos on Facebook and Youtube for friends to see," she said. "They are all very glad to know all of the Japanese-born pandas are healthy and happy."