'HARD TO SAY GOODBYE'

Fans bid farewell to panda Le Le in his last public appearance here

- Chin Hui Shan

Mr Tie Boon Ping arrived at River Wonders at 8am on Dec 13, the eighth successive day he had turned up at the wildlife park in Mandai.

The 57-year-old operations director was there to catch one last glimpse of Le Le, the first panda cub born in Singapore.

From Dec 14, Le Le will no longer be in his exhibit as he begins a 4½week quarantine before he boards a plane for China on Jan 16, 2024.

Visitors started trickling in as early as 8am, two hours before River Wonders opened its doors.

"I woke up at 4.30am before my alarm at 5.15am. I am very excited to see Le Le today," Mr Tie told The Straits Times. "I can't bear to see him go but, deep down, I feel happy that he is going back to his parents' home town." Mr Tie, who took a day's leave to ensure he would not miss the occasion, first saw the panda cub in January 2022 and has since visited him almost every week.

"He is so adorable... it feels therapeutic to see him," said Mr Tie, who has visited seven other zoos and wildlife parks in 2023, in countries like South Korea and China, to see giant pandas.

Housewife Kelly Lim, 39, turned up with her two sons, aged two and five, to say goodbye to Le Le, born to dad Kai Kai and mum Jia Jia. The trio had already made two trips to River Wonders since the school holidays started.

"We have grown attached to Le Le, especially as he was born in the same year as my younger son," said Ms Lim, who first visited Le Le in December 2021. She added that she could relate to how tired Jia Jia would have felt taking care of her newborn.

"It's really sad to see him go... it's really the last time (to see him here)," she said.

For Ms Nicole Tan, 32, it was her first and last time seeing Le Le n the flesh.

While she wished the panda cub could stay in Singapore, the tutor, who donned a black giant panda Tshirt from River Wonders, said: "I believe he will be well fed and well looked after, but we will miss him.