Authorities in China are preparing to send a pair of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo, resuming the symbolic “panda diplomacy” after the practice was hampered amid tensions between Beijing and Washington.
In a press release, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said members of its team recently visited the Wolong and Bifengxia panda bases in China and met with Yun Chuan and Xin Bao—the two pandas who will be sent to the zoo.
The group said a specific date for the panda’s arrival is “not yet known” but they are “looking forward to a prospective arrival this summer” after completing all “necessary steps” with their partners in the U.S. and China.
Yun Chuan is a five-year-old “mild-mannered male” whose mother Zhen Zhen was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007.
Xin Bao is a 4-year-old female and the statement describes her as “a gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears.”
The group said its leaders are meeting with partners from the China Wildlife Conservation Association to discuss other research and conservation efforts for the pandas and their habitat.
The number of pandas living in U.S. zoos has declined sharply over the past few years as tensions have ratcheted up between China and the U.S. The Memphis Zoo and the National Zoo in Washington D.C. returned their pandas to China last year after their loan agreement for keeping the animals was not renewed. The four pandas in Zoo Atlanta are currently the only ones remaining in the U.S. but their loan agreement will expire later this year.
Pandas have played a symbolic role in U.S.-China diplomacy since formal ties between the two countries were established in 1972. The first pandas were sent to the U.S. shortly after President Richard Nixon’s visit that year and several more were sent to various U.S. zoos over the next decade, usually on 10-year contracts. But questions about the survival of the so-called “panda diplomacy” have been raised over the past few years as ties between the two countries have deteriorated. However, during his visit to San Francisco last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted at the continuation of this gesture, saying: “Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation.”
“Although the conservation status of the giant panda is improving, there is still much work needed to ensure they remain on the path to recovery with healthy populations and flourishing ecosystems,” San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said.
1,800. That is the total population of giant pandas remaining in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The animals are classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and feature on its red list of vulnerable species.
Chinese President Hints Pandas May Return To U.S. (Forbes)
National Zoo Pandas Leaving D.C. For China—Ending A Program Nixon Started 51 Years Ago (Forbes)
