SAN DIEGO — A pair of giant pandas will soon make their debut at the San Diego Zoo where "panda-monium" is in the air.
The public will get to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao for the first time on Thursday, August 8. The pandas made the long journey from China to the U.S. in June as part of an ongoing conservation partnership between the two nations.
"It's a very exciting time for the zoo," said Dr. Megan Owen, the zoo's head of conservation science.
She traveled to China to meet the pandas in April.
“It’s inspiring as people from around the world come together to conserve, protect, and care for these special bears, and we can’t wait to welcome them to San Diego," Owen said.
Five-year-old Yun Chuan is described as a mild-mannered fella with a big appetite.
"He's a foodie," Owen said. "All the pandas love their food, but he definitely loves his bamboo."
Yun Chuan's roots run deep at the San Diego Zoo. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born there in 2007. His grandmother, Bai Yun, is a local legend and one of the zoo's first two pandas, according to CBS News. She lived there for over 20 years before being returned to China in 2019.
Four-year-old Yun Chuan is described as gentle, adventurous and intelligent.
The zoo is hoping for a love connection between the pair so they can welcome a new generation of pandas.
Another pair will come to the Smithsonian's National Zoo later this year, and a third pair will soon settle in the San Francisco Zoo.
History of 'panda diplomacy'
The first pandas who made their home in the U.S. arrived at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo in 1972. Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing were a gift to First Lady Pat Nixon after a historic visit to China with President Richard Nixon that helped establish diplomatic relations between the countries.
From then on, 50 years of "panda diplomacy" helped boost the panda population and their popularity, with millions of adoring fans watching every tumble, snow day and birth.
China owns the pandas and typically leases them out for 10-year terms at 1 million dollars per year, per pair. But with increased tensions between Beijing and the West, China appeared to back off from the deal.
However, a recent signal from Chinese President Xi Jinping indicated a thawing of icy panda relations.
In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping raised hopes his country would start sending pandas to the U.S. again after he and President Joe Biden convened in Northern California for their first face-to-face meeting in a year and pledged to try to reduce tensions.
"We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation," Xi said in late 2023.
Decades after Beijing began working with zoos in the U.S. and Europe to protect the species, the number of giant pandas in the wild has risen to 1,900, up from about 1,100 in the 1980s. They're no longer considered “at risk” of extinction but have been given the safer status of “vulnerable."
