The world grew concerned when photos of Ya Ya, a giant panda who spent 20 years at the Memphis Zoo, showed her looking thin and frail in early 2023. The zoo said she had a chronic skin condition and that her small size was genetic, but public worry increased after her companion, Le Le, died that same year.

Ya Ya returned to China in April 2023 at age 23, weighing just 75 kg. Over the next two years, the Beijing Zoo treated her skin condition, monitored her health, and helped her readjust.

Now 25, she weighs 95 kg, her coat is thick and glossy, and she appears calm and healthy. Many online say she finally looks like herself again — simply thriving back home.