Feng Yi and Fu Wa were supposed to depart for Malaysia later today after a farewell ceremony at CCRCGP Dujiangyan panda base where they’d been in quarantine since late February.

Their departure has now been postponed to the end of next month. Discussions on Facebook have friends wondering how I’m feeling and hoping I’m not too disappointed. I can’t respond as I’m in China where there’s no FB access, but was told about the discussions and the comments by another friend when I asked. Elsewhere, netizens have posted online reactions. Many seem to be confused between ‘postponement’ and ‘cancellation’.

China and Malaysia signed a 10-year giant panda loan agreement exactly 22 months ago today on 15 June 2012. It’s an agreement signed, sealed and soon to be delivered. It can’t be cancelled but it has been postponed. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a minor setback.

But it does mean our Malaysian black and white pair will probably have the longest quarantine period of any overseas-bound giant pandas.

Meanwhile, Feng Yi’s hooman mummy has had some publicity of her own:
‘Adoptive mother’ awaits her panda ‘daughter’