It was 8 am on Tuesday and still dark in the southern Belgian city of Brugelette, where Pairi Daiza zoo is located. But hundreds of fans had already arrived to bid farewell to three giant pandas.

Giant panda Tian Bao and twins Bao Di and Bao Mei, all born in the zoo, departed at 9:45 am in a truck to the Brussels Airport, where they boarded a cargo flight to China.

Marianne Defreyne and her daughter came all the way from Ostende, a Belgian city on the North Sea coast about a two-hour drive from the zoo, to say goodbye.

Like Defreyne, many fans were taking a last look at their beloved curly animals and some were waving the national flags of China and Belgium.

Eric Domb, founder and president of Pairi Daiza, said it was a mixed feeling for him. "Of course, it's a feeling of sadness. Leaving these wonderful babies is a very sad moment, especially when you think about the zookeepers who have accompanied them all day long," he told China Daily.

"But at the same time, it's a beautiful feeling. It's about a feeling to show gratitude to China."

"China introduced their parents Hao Hao and Xing Hui to the zoo 10 years ago and now we are so happy to bring you three beautiful pandas. It's a feeling of humility and happiness," Domb said.

Pairi Daiza welcomed Xing Hui and Hao Hao, the first pair of giant pandas in Belgium in February 2014, on a 15-year loan agreement. They gave birth to a male cub Tian Bao on June 2, 2016, and on Aug 8, 2019, they gave birth to twins — male Bao Di and female Bao Mei.

According to the agreement, all giant panda cubs born at the zoo are required to join conservation and breeding programs in China. The cubs' return was delayed for years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Giant panda parents Hao Hao and Xing Hui will remain at Pairi Daiza for another five years.

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Fei Shengchao echoed Domb's mixed feelings, saying it's never a joy to see someone off.

Fei noted that when the giant pandas Hao Hao and Xing Hui arrived at the zoo from 10,000 kilometers away, the giant pandas were still an endangered species facing the risk of extinction.

"Ten years on, thanks to Chinese efforts and also very successful China-Belgium cooperation, cooperation between China and all other international partners, the international community in animal conservation has now downgraded the giant pandas from endangered species to vulnerable species, which is remarkable," he said.