With a "little pinch in the heart", Brigitte Macron came to greet one last time Wednesday at the ZooParc de Beauval Yuan Meng, the first of the baby pandas born in 2017, of which she is godmother, before he left for China on July 4.
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Yuan Meng will soon return to China, that's why I wanted to be here today, "said the wife of President Emmanuel Macron during a surprise visit of nearly three hours Wednesday afternoon to the zoological park of Saint-Aignan (Loir-et-Cher), alongside the Secretary of State for Ecological Transition Bérangère Couillard. "I'll try to go see him maybe once there. But now, I have a little pinch in my heart," she added.
The young male panda Yuan Meng, the first baby panda born in France in 2017, at Beauval Zoo, in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, on April 28, 2023. GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP
Every time I see him, that same emotion comes back.
Brigitte Macron, First Lady
Yuan Meng, the first baby panda born in France in August 2017 at the ZooParc de Beauval, will move this summer to the Giant Panda Research and Reproduction Center in Chengdu (China), "to breed with an unrelated female," said zoo director Rodolphe Delord. "I've known Yuan Meng for five and a half years, and every time I see him, that same emotion comes back," the first lady continued. "I have a hard time analyzing it. It generates a feeling of zenitude. We look at it and we don't want to be anywhere else. But why I don't know.
»Real stars of Beauval, the parents of Yuan Meng, Yuan Zi and Huan Huan, loaned since 2012 by the Chinese authorities, have recently seen their stay extended until 2027. Between two selfies with visitors, Mrs. Macron also went to see the two younger sisters of her panda godson, twins Huanlili and Yuandudu who also remain in Beauval.
The young male panda Yuan Meng, the first baby panda born in France in 2017, at Beauval Zoo, in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, on April 28, 2023. GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP
