A pair of pandas will soon be making a journey from China to the San Diego Zoo. When they arrive, they’ll be the first panda pair to enter the U.S. in 21 years.
These distinctive black-and-white bears are protected in China, where they live in bamboo forests. In addition to their unique appearance, they are some of the most vocal bears and they have a slow reproductive rate – just about 1,800 live in their native habitats today.
The San Diego Zoo has been providing care to pandas since 1987. In fact, it was the first zoo in the U.S. to have a cooperative panda conservation program. This year marks its 30th anniversary of the conservation partnership between San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and China Wildlife Conservation Association.
“The collaboration has greatly advanced giant panda conservation, leading to the downgrading of the giant panda’s status from Endangered to Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016,” said a press release from the alliance . More work through the partnership continues.
Last year , China refused to extend a loan agreement with the U.S. and reclaimed some of the bears from their homes in American zoos. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping said shortly after that more of the bears would be coming to the U.S.
This February , California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed that his state would likely be the first to welcome new pandas. He said two pandas were expected to arrive in San Diego by the end of the summer. Pandas are also expected to arrive in San Francisco and Washington D.C.
According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a delegation of representatives from the U.S. joined dignitaries and conservation leaders at the China Conservation & Research Center for Giant Pandas in Sichuan province Thursday. They were there for a “historic” farewell ceremony for Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, the two pandas moving to California. Attendees included San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance President and CEO Paul Baribault, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and more.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Yun Chuan and Xin Bao to the San Diego Zoo,” said Baribault. “This farewell celebrates their journey and underscores a collaboration between the United States and China on vital conservation efforts. Our long-standing partnership with China Wildlife Conservation Association has been instrumental in advancing giant panda conservation, and we look forward to continuing our work together to ensure the survival and thriving of this iconic species.”
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Yun Chuan – the nearly 5-year-old son of Zhen Zhen, who was born at San Diego Zoo in 2007 – and Xin Bao are expected to travel to California soon. Once they arrive, they will take several weeks to get acclimated to their new home before the public will be able to see them, said the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Further announcements will be made about when the public will be able to meet the panda pair.
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