This summer, two giant pandas from China are scheduled to arrive at the San Diego Zoo, the Southern California wildlife facility’s first giant panda home since 2019.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance revealed on Monday that the two giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, were recently visited by care team leaders prior to their trip to San Diego.
Vice president of conservation science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Dr. Megan Owen stated in a press release, “It was an honor to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao in person and meet our conservation partners caring for them at the Wolong and Bifengxia Panda Bases.”
The alliance claims that Yun Chuan, a nearly five-year-old male panda who is regarded as “mild-mannered, gentle, and lovable,” has a close relationship with the San Diego Zoo.
Zhen Zhen, his mother, spent 23 years living at the San Diego Zoo after being born there in 2007.
“Yun Chuan’s lineage has deep connections to the San Diego Zoo and we’re excited by the prospect of caring for them,” Owen stated.
According to the press release, Xin Bao is a nearly four-year-old female giant panda that was born at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base. She is described as a “gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears.”
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The alliance is anticipating a potential arrival this summer, however the precise date of the pandas’ arrival at the San Diego Zoo has not been disclosed, per the statement.
For almost thirty years, the San Diego Zoo has collaborated with top Chinese conservation organizations to transport, care for, and study giant pandas.
Since 1972, the China Wildlife and Conservation Association has brought pandas to American facilities in a program known as “panda diplomacy,” the announcement states.
The partnership states that the primary areas of study include giant panda reproductive behavior and physiology, dietary demands, and habitat requirements.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), giant pandas are the rarest bear family member and one of the most threatened animal species worldwide.
According to WWF, there are only 1,864 giant pandas left in the world. The bears mostly live in forests high in the mountains of southwest China, where bamboo makes up almost all of their diet.
Because giant pandas need to eat between 26 and 84 pounds of bamboo each day, San Diego’s bamboo conservation efforts are crucial to the animals’ well-being.
“Our partnership over the decades has served as a powerful example of how, when we work together, we can achieve what was once thought to be impossible,” Owen stated.
“We have a shared goal of creating a sustainable future for giant pandas.”
