Panda keepers at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo post thank-you notes; Ri Ri and Shin Shin to be returned to China on Sunday

A banner bearing messages from several former caretakers of giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin, who are returning to China on Sunday, was hung at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo’s Taito Ward on Wednesday.

“The day I started working at the zoo was also the first day you two were on display. I still didn’t know which side was which, so I walked over to the panda enclosure. Even now, I can still remember how you looked a little young and how so many people were laughing.”

The banner, which is 1.2 metres high and 3 metres long, is decorated with thoughts from 29 past and present caretakers and staff who have done work related to pandas.

On Wednesday, amid an intermittent drizzle, fans surrounded the banner, reading messages and taking photos. A 50-year-old woman from Itabashi Ward plans to visit the zoo every day until Saturday, the last day people can see Ri Ri and Shin Shin. She said: “I’m sure this must be painful for the staff who have been associated with the pandas for so long. I took a photo because I want to take my time at home to read all the messages.”