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- 2 giant pandas arrive at San Diego Zoo from China (newsbreak.com)
Giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao from China have recently made Southern California their new home, thanks to a conservation effort by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, announced on Friday.
Currently housed in a secluded habitat at the San Diego Zoo, the pandas are in a period of adjustment and remain behind the scenes, away from public view, as per the alliance’s statement.
Marking the first arrival of new pandas in the United States in over two decades, this event precedes the anticipated arrival of two additional pandas at the Washington National Zoo by year’s end, which was disclosed in May.
The alliance reports that these pandas are under careful observation by specialist teams in wildlife health and care, who will decide when the pandas can be introduced to visitors.
Earlier in the week, a send-off event was hosted in China before Yun Chuan and Xin Bao’s departure.
A photo released by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance captures Xin Bao, a nearly four-year-old female giant panda, characterized by her round face and considerable ears.
Yun Chuan, on the other hand, is a nearly five-year-old male with familial ties to California. His mother, Zhen Zhen, a San Diego Zoo native, was born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao in 2007.
Described as a gentle soul, Xin Bao is noted for her introverted and witty nature.
The alliance boasts a longstanding, nearly three-decade collaboration with Chinese conservation bodies aimed at the protection and recovery of giant pandas and their bamboo forest habitats.
Since 1972, the China Wildlife and Conservation Association has been placing pandas in the U.S. under what is known as “panda diplomacy.”
San Diego first welcomed pandas in 1987 for a short 100-day visit. This initial exchange evolved into a 12-year agreement starting in 1996 with the arrival of Bai Yun and Shi Shi, paving the way for a series of extensions that resulted in the birth of six pandas at the zoo, all of whom were returned to China by 2019.
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- 2 giant pandas arrive at San Diego Zoo from China (newsbreak.com)