San Diego Zoo shares first look at new giant pandas following their arrival in US

By CNN Newsource

Published July 9, 2024 7:28 AM

By Amanda Musa, CNN

(CNN) — San Diego’s newest giant pandas are acclimating well to their new state-side home, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said Tuesday.

The zoo shared first-look photos of the pair, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, who are the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years, according to the zoo.

Since their arrival in the Golden State on June 27, the zoo says, “They are acclimating well to their new home in a private habitat and will not be viewable to the public for several weeks.”

Photos of the new residents show Yun Chuan chomping on leaves and Xin Bao lounging in her enclosure.

Yun Chuan is a nearly 5-year-old male born to Zhen Zhen, the fourth cub born at the San Diego Zoo.

“He’s identifiable by his long, slightly pointed nose and seems to be extremely comfortable whether he is exploring on the grass or climbing trees,” the zoo said in the release.

Xin Bao is a nearly 4-year-old female whose name means “precious treasure of prosperity and abundance.”

“She is best recognized by her large, round face and big, fluffy ears, and she enjoys sunbathing quietly and focusing on her favorite food,” the zoo added.

The young pandas are on loan from China after Chinese leader Xi Jinping suggested sending pandas to the San Diego Zoo as “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”

China loans pandas to more than 20 countries under a program often referred to as “panda diplomacy.” Its panda loans to the US stretch back to 1972 – though the number of loans has decreased in recent years as US-China relations worsened.

Over the past few years, pandas from the Memphis Zoo and Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, were returned to China. The four giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta will go back to China later this year.

But San Diego’s agreement with China may represent a new phase in panda diplomacy; China announced in April it would also send pandas to the San Francisco Zoo for the first time.

The San Diego Zoo, one of the world’s most renowned, was the first American institution to carry out cooperative research on giant pandas with China. Since 1994, it has worked with the Sichuan conservation center to study the species’ behavior, genetics, artificial breeding, nutrition and disease prevention.

The San Diego Zoo said Tuesday it is working closely with Chinese experts to cater to the pandas’ dietary needs, providing a variety of fresh bamboo and a local adaptation of wowotou, a traditional Chinese bun also called “panda bread.”

“Veterinary teams from both countries are keeping a close eye on the pandas’ health, tracking their weight, appetite and other health indicators daily to ensure they thrive in their new environment,” the news release said.

The San Diego Zoo also said that it will share more information about when visitors can see the pandas in person. The website said the pandas will spend several weeks acclimating to their new home. The pandas’ health and care teams will determine when the pair is ready to meet the public.

CNN’s Jessie Yeung, Manveena Suri, Fred He and Kaila Nichols contributed to this report.