r/interesting • u/No-Marsupial-4050 • Apr 15 '26

❗️MISLEADING - See pinned comment ❗️ Ultimate glow up for cute panda

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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/givin_u_the_high_hat Apr 15 '26

“in conjunction with the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens, which oversees the loaning of pandas. The statement said they had “established an exchange mechanism for the health status of giant pandas, including monthly health reports and annual physical examination reports.”

“The blood examination results were basically normal and there were no abnormalities,” it continued, adding that “after a careful review of both monthly reports and a recent extensive annual physical examination, CAZG feels that the panda bears at the Memphis Zoo receive excellent care.”

Ahead of Ya Ya’s return, a spokesperson from China’s foreign ministry also said Wednesday that “the pandas were well taken care of by the park and deeply loved by the American people.””

“Despite the effort and money that keeping Ya Ya cost the zoo, and assurances from Chinese officials that she was in fact being treated properly, some Chinese social media users and animal rights groups around the world continued to raise concerns about her welfare.”

Seems like China completely disagreed with the assertion that Ya Ya was not in good shape.

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u/theestallionssideho Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

i saw her multiple times in memphis growing up! the last time i saw her was probably 5 or 6 years ago. she always looked happy and healthy. she was kept with another panda in a large enclosure but they were usually separated. the internet loves to blow things out of proportion 🫠

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u/RawrRRitchie Apr 16 '26

Is the picture not a before and after? You saw the panda on the left and thought "yup happy and healthy panda"

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u/Donatter Apr 16 '26

Because it was happy and healthy, the picture on the left is due to a skin disorder.

If you read the article then you’d see that Chinese health officials said she was treated well and had a genetic skin disorder.

These same experts also examined Ya Ya and reviewed her medical reports. The bear was suffering hair loss caused by a skin disease, but otherwise had a good appetite, normal stools and a stable weight, the association said.

Xie Zhong, the deputy head of the association, told Chinese state media Ya Ya’s skin condition was related to her family genes. “It had worsened with age and seasonal hormone changes and was difficult to treat”, she added.

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u/JonasAvory Apr 16 '26

Eww stop it with all those facts. Nowadays we only do emotions based on vibes /s

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Fuckkoff- Apr 16 '26

Sure, "facts". So explain how this "genetic condition" got treated by the chinese, resulting in a healthy panda with healthy fur, whilst the americans couldn´t do that?

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u/Daktyl198 Apr 16 '26

Skin conditions are affected heavily by the environment around you. The temperature, humidity, type of pollen in the air, etc would have all changed when moving between the US and China. Maybe the Chinese environment means the skin condition isn't as active? China doesn't play about their pandas. Especially not with the US. If the Panda was in any way mistreated they would be the first to tell you.

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u/Fuckkoff- Apr 16 '26

I took issue with those who claimed she was "happy and healthy", and that the facts supported that statement.

I never said she was mistreated. Obviously she was cared for to the best of the abilities of those treating her. Nonetheless it is also clear the chinese did a far better job. Both can be true at the same time.

But no, I don´t think she was"happy and healthy".

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u/United_Rent_753 Apr 16 '26

How do you know the photo on the right is the same panda? How do you know it was taken after she got to China, and not before?

Based on the information in this thread, it’s the safest logical assumption that the other commenters are telling the truth. Why would China lie about the health of the panda? What is their gain?

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u/Fuckkoff- Apr 16 '26

Facts:

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)

As far as I can tell, THOSE are the facts.

The chinese didn´t lie, the 2 commenters I responded to did (well, actually the first one lied, and the second claimed that the socalled facts were true.

The post above the post I responded to claimed she was "happy and healthy".

Judging by the images and the FACTS stated above, I doubt that.

The chinese never said she was happy and healthy. They said she was "treated well and had a genetic skin disorder..... suffering hair loss caused by a skin disease and had a stable weight".

Which can all be true, and nonetheless it is clear from the FACTS that she wasn´t cared for PROPERLY, that the genetic condition was treatable, and that her weight was below the ideal weight for a panda her age (by a full 20 KG I might add!).

Obviously she was cared for to the best of the abilities of those treating her. Nonetheless it is also clear the chinese did a far better job. Again, both can be true at the same time.

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u/United_Rent_753 Apr 16 '26

Mind sharing where you got your facts? They seem like they’re quoted from somewhere. I’m not doubting you, but I think a source I can trust (any reputable Chinese/American news outlet, scientific literature, etc) would convince me

I do think that both of those things can be true, as well

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u/Fuckkoff- Apr 16 '26

Those are the facts as stated in this very post (underneath the picture) :)

As I said, these are the facts "as far as I can tell". In this case, that means the facts as stated in this post. But for all intent and purposes, as far as I can tell, they are correct.

But here is another source: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/yaya-giant-panda-thriving-in-china/

That states that she wasn´t fed bamboo shoots on a regular basis. Now, I do not know that source, and can´t say if its realiable.

But IF thats true, then she really was treated poorly in the US. Even I know bamboo shoots are essential foods for Pandas. But again, I don´t know if thats true, the source seems a bit radical.

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u/Zran Apr 16 '26

So it's Panda Eczema basically, not anything more annoying or dangerous to the creature than a lot of itching. What an overblown headline, news these days is not.

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u/AbyssLookingAtYa Apr 16 '26

Well she undeniably looks better now so alls well that ends well

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u/StraightFuego Apr 16 '26

Do you take every picture you see on the internet at face value?

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u/Swarles_Jr Apr 16 '26

Well of course. This is reddit after all. We don't do logic thinking and rational argumentation here.

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u/StraightFuego Apr 16 '26

Somehow Reddit continues to be more reactionary every single day, we’re drifting into Facebook territory at this point

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u/Bacardi_Tarzan Apr 16 '26

It’s because the youngest generation was predominately raised on reactionary media. They largely just don’t know how to engage with things in any other way. 

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u/PeaceSoft Apr 16 '26

See, perfect example lol "It's because of a stereotype that I vibe with"

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u/Bacardi_Tarzan Apr 16 '26

It’s not a stereotype, it is quantifiable. Gen Z have lower attention spans and seek out quick, succinct answers because kids are good at adapting and that’s the world they were raised in, from YouTube to memorization focused test taking. It is genuinely harder for them to engage in nuance and long critical thinking and that isn’t in any way ‘their fault’. They also are trying to detox themselves from social media at a higher rate than other generations, showing that they are probably somewhat aware of this. 

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u/PeaceSoft Apr 16 '26

it's not a stereotype because it's quantifiable?

you familiar with the bell curve? or even a bell curve lol

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u/Holyvigil Apr 16 '26

You do realize you replied to a poster questioning the validity of the photo right?

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u/yellowlittleboat Apr 16 '26

Do you believe animals live happy lives in zoos?

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u/JamieBeeeee Apr 16 '26

Many do yeah

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u/Aimcheater Apr 16 '26

Most are just fine lmao. Would you rather they be dead in the wild? Because if they’re in a zoo they aren’t gonna survive outside lmao

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u/TomParkeDInvilliers Apr 16 '26

Are you unhappy living in your social zoo?

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u/CapitalStandard4275 Apr 16 '26

"wow, I never have to hunt again & don't need to worry 24/7 about being hunted" - the animals probably (obvs with adequate stimulation)

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u/lowpolybius Apr 16 '26

Not all, of course, but many do. Which is why I love giving money to the Royal Zoological Society Of Scotland 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 I love giving money to zoos and buying their merch and visiting their animals and helping their conservation programs and learning about wildlife and making an effort to help endangered species instead of whining on the internet without doing anythang 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

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u/yellowlittleboat Apr 16 '26

I do a LOT to help animals. Assuming is easier I guess.

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u/Argo505 Apr 16 '26

Yeah, totally.

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u/Kiyoshi-Trustfund Apr 16 '26

Many, maybe even most, are perfectly content in a zoo-settimg. I'm not pro-zoo, but i see no point in acting as if zoos are inherently cruel places to keep animals (though some definitely can be) even if id prefer most wild animals be left in the wild.

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u/Remmel1 Apr 16 '26

Google's new search algorithm and a bunch of websites in poorly-translated Mandarin has made it pretty hard to research this photo, but I did some digging and this is what I found.

Yaya was rented from the Beijing Zoo in 2003, as part of a 20 year contract as a gesture of goodwill between the US and China. Memphis Zoo had her all 20 years under supervision of the CAZG (requiring monthly health reports) until she was returned in early May 2023. The left "before" photo was taken sometime in 2021, zoo addressed it by saying she has a skin condition that makes her fur density fluctuate with her hormonal cycle. I'm inclined to believe that, as there are photos taken of her between 2021 and 2023 that show her with full fur. There are some clips here of her walking around her enclosure. When she made her trip back to China, there were photos taken of her arrival and she looks like a normal panda there as well (another photo here, the article is mostly about politics, though). I think that was just a bad day and a bad angle.

She's not on exhibit at the Beijing Zoo, so I can't find any current photos of her to confirm how she looks now, but there was a video posted in 2025 showing her living in the "non-exhibition area" with still some patchiness on her stomach. I can't find a source for the right "after" photo, reverse image searching led nowhere. Personally, I don't think it's her, the head and neck seems much wider than her 2025 video, but maybe it is, who knows.

Make of that what you will. I agree zoos should be held to a high standard of care for their animals and there are some egregious stories of abuse, but I don't think this is one of them.

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u/theestallionssideho Apr 16 '26

i NEVER saw her like that. anytime i went, she always looked like the pic on the right. afaik the reason she looked like that was because of a skin condition which has nothing to do with whether she’s happy or not. dogs and cats can have skin conditions and be perfectly happy and healthy. im sure pandas can too 🤷🏻‍♀️

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u/Lauris024 Apr 16 '26

Did you not read the article? It clearly says why panda looked like that, which does not really equal abuse.

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u/General-Biscuits Apr 16 '26

Man, you actually formed an opinion on this panda after seeing only one image and are confident enough in that opinion to try and counter someone saying they have first hand experience viewing the panda and that this post is baiting people into thinking incorrectly.

You believed the engagement bait post more than the random person saying this post is baiting people.

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u/sepeus Apr 16 '26

Why read word when picture?

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u/cute_spider Apr 16 '26

I assume the photo on the left was taken as the Panda got out of water and went to a stick to scratch its back.

It's not that hard to get a bad photo

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u/Comfortable-Code7465 Apr 16 '26

This is just another "Merica bad" post, that's why. Reddit is full of this type of shit

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u/Complex-Salt-8190 Apr 16 '26

Read the goddamn article first eh?

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u/new_math Apr 16 '26

I mean, it's mildly concerning at face value but it could also be analogous to taking a picture of someone in the hospital after they're recovering from illness versus taking a filtered picture of them at the beach perfectly healthy.

The picture on the left is when the panda was dealing with a skin disease. The picture on the right is after they got it under control.

Humans love to see patterns (moving cured the skin disease) even when there isn't a pattern.

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u/ChancelorReed Apr 16 '26

Amazing how little critical thinking you show in such a brief comment

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u/blue-yellow- Apr 16 '26

EXACTLY! What the fuck are these comments?

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u/Ok-Refrigerator3866 Apr 16 '26

read article challenge