Popular panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao will depart from a Tokyo zoo for China, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in more than 50 years

Popular panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao will depart from a Tokyo zoo for China, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in more than 50 years

 Philip FONG

Two hugely popular pandas are set to depart from a Tokyo zoo for China on Tuesday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in more than 50 years.

Panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao are due to be transported by truck out of Ueno Zoological Gardens, their birthplace, disappointing many Japanese fans who have grown attached to the four-year-olds.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.