Americans have bid a fond farewell to giant panda Tai Shan. The young star of the US National Zoo in Washington will be heading home to China.

 

Four-year-old Tai Shan enjoyed his final lunch in the US. Perhaps the recent surge in visitors gave him the feeling something special was going to happen.

Tai Shan walked around anxiously in the enclosure. On Thursday, Tai Shan goes to China to take part in a breeding program, along with his three-year-old female cousin Mei Lan, from Zoo Atlanta.

One of Tai Shan's caretakers and a veterinarian from the Washington National Zoo are expected to accompany them on the journey.