00:00Folks here knew this day would come.
00:02The arrangement was that when these panda cubs hit the age of four,
00:06they'd return back to China.
00:08But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that date was delayed.
00:12That is why one of the pandas is now eight years old.
00:15The twins, they are both five.
00:17But the time has finally come for them to return to China.
00:21And for audiences, the public here,
00:24it's really an opportunity to say their final goodbyes.
00:28For the zookeepers, they say it's very sad,
00:30but they say that it's in their own interest of the pandas to head back to China
00:34so they can start families of their own.
00:37Now comes a period of about a month of quarantine.
00:40They say they're making sure that the pandas are totally healthy
00:43before that long trip back to China.
00:46The parents will remain here at the zoo.
00:49The hope is that because of the breeding program that's in effect,
00:52while people today are saying goodbye,
00:55hopefully in the future, people here will be welcoming some new faces.
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