Brugelette, Belgium - December 10, 2024 Storyline: Three giant pandas born at Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo departed on Tuesday to begin the long trip back to China, with hundreds of panda lovers gathering to bid the beloved trio a fond farewell. The pandas, 8-year-old Tian Bao, and the twins Bao Di and Bao Mei, born in 2019, completed a month-long quarantine period at the zoo ahead of the journey and were transported in Chinese-themed containers in a special vehicle bearing their names, as adoring crowds of well-wishers lined the roadside to give the pandas a warm send-off. Nearly 1,000 fans gathered at the zoo early in the morning to catch a last glimpse of the trio. For many, this was not only a chance to say goodbye, but also a time to recollect the joyous memories the pandas have brought them over the years. The panda siblings will soon begin their new lives at the Giant Panda Base in Bifengxia of southwest China's Sichuan Province, an area known as the home of the giant panda. They will be quarantined for another month after arriving in China. China and Belgium signed a 15-year international cooperation agreement on giant panda protection back in 2013, with giant pandas Xing Hui and Hao Hao -- the parents of the three departing siblings -- coming to Belgium one year later. Eric Domb, the founder and chairman of Pairi Daiza -- which means 'Paradise' -- said staff at the zoo had spent several months preparing for the pandas' return, but said their departure represents a new beginning. Shortly after the birth of the twins Bao Di and Bao Mei back in 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to King Philippe of Belgium, saying the birth of the two cubs would write a new chapter in the story of friendship between China and Belgium. Shotlist: Brugelette, Hainaut Province, Belgium - Dec 10, 2024: 1. Various of pandas being transferred in special truck; zoo staff walking alongside; 2. Various of spectators at roadside waving Chinese, Belgian national flags; 3. SOUNDBITE (English) panda lover (name not given) (starting with shot 1): "[I am here to] say goodbye to the three babies, our three pandas, we love them so much. We saw them from when they were very little, when they got born, when they were very small. We saw them grow up, play, and now we have to say goodbye." 4. Various of pandas being transferred; zoo staff; 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Domb, founder and chairman, Pairi Daiza (starting with shot 3): "We keep the parents with all our love and we are going to work, as I said, in such a way [to see] how [they] can make more babies in the near future. Today is a very important moment because the three babies go back to their homeland, but the show must go on." 6. Spectators waving Chinese, Belgian national flags; 7. Various of pandas being transferred; vehicles moving. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]