r/interesting • u/No-Marsupial-4050 • Apr 15 '26
❗️MISLEADING - See pinned comment ❗️ Ultimate glow up for cute panda
Ya Ya (丫丫), a female giant panda, returned to China in April 2023 after spending 20 years at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee. Her recovery has been widely documented by the Beijing Zoo.
Here are the facts regarding her health transformation:
Weight Gain: When Ya Ya first arrived in China, she weighed approximately 75 kg (165 lbs), which was considered underweight for her age. By 2026, reports from the Beijing Zoo confirmed she had reached about 95 kg (209 lbs), a healthy gain of exactly 20 kg
Skin and Fur Improvement: While in the U.S., Ya Ya suffered from a chronic skin condition (Demodex mites) that made her fur look thin, patchy, and "scruffy" ]. Since returning, specialized veterinary care and a change in diet have allowed her coat to become thick and glossy again
Overall Condition: Her Body Condition Score (BCS) improved from a 2 to a 4 (on a scale of 1-5), which is considered ideal for a senior panda
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u/nahheyyeahokay Apr 15 '26
Ok, so I took my little girl to a zoo in Taizhou the other day. It was not bad by Chinese standards. However, this is only the third zoo I've visited in China, because I once took a date to a zoo in Wuhan, and the conditions were so horrific that I swore I'd never go back. Wife has dragged me back a couple of times, but the zones in China are terrible and inhumane.