2 giant pandas set off from China to the US - for first time in over 20 years

For the first time in more than 20 years, giant pandas are travelling from China to the United States.

The five-year-old male Yun Chuan and nearly four-year-old female Xin Bao are expected to arrive at the San Diego Zoo in California later this week after setting off from China on Wednesday.

The pair will travel 7,000 miles, accompanied by caretakers who will help them adjust to their new environment.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria travelled to Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, a research and conservation facility, in China's Sichuan province to attend the pandas' departure.

"I'm honoured to have been invited to join in the farewell ceremonies in China for Yun Chuan and Xin Bao - the giant pandas coming to our @sandiegozoo," he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

I'm honored to have been invited to join in the farewell ceremonies in China for Yun Chuan and Xin Bao - the giant pandas coming to our @sandiegozoo! This is a historic conservation partnership that will help protect these magnificent creatures and their habitat. 🐼 pic.twitter.com/p76ZJjNPJP

- San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) June 26, 2024

In a statement on Wednesday the zoo said that after the pandas arrive safely in San Diego, they will not be publicly viewable for several weeks while acclimatising to their new home, where they will stay for 10 years.

"As soon as wildlife health and care teams confirm Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are ready to meet the public, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance will share a debut date and specific information about how to see" them, it added.

Paul Baribault, president and chief executive of the zoo, said it was "incredibly excited" to welcome the pandas.

"This farewell celebrates their journey and underscores a collaboration between the United States and China on vital conservation efforts," he said.

San Diego first received giant pandas in 1996, and has not welcomed any new bears from China in more than 20 years.

In April, the San Diego Zoo said that its team had met Yun Chuan and Xin Bao and discussed with their care-givers how best to collaborate on "specialised care and nutrition programmes" for the bears.

After that meeting, a zoo statement described Yun Chuan as "mild-mannered, gentle and lovable" and Xin Bao as a "gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears".

Yun Chuan's father Zhen Zhen was born in the San Diego Zoo in 2007, and his grandmother Bai Yun lived at the zoo for 23 years until 2019.

More giant pandas are expected to arrive in the US in the coming months - at the National Zoo in Washington, as well as zoos in San Francisco; Atlanta; and Memphis, Tennessee.

China initiated its panda diplomacy with the US by giving two bears to the National Zoo in 1972, following US President Richard Nixon's trip to China.

First lady Patricia Nixon at the National Zoo on April 20, 1972, for the official welcome ceremony for giant pandas Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, a gift from China. Photo: Richard Nixon Presidential Library. alt=First lady Patricia Nixon at the National Zoo on April 20, 1972, for the official welcome ceremony for giant pandas Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, a gift from China. Photo: Richard Nixon Presidential Library.>

As relations between the two countries have strained, only four pandas now live in the US, all at the Atlanta zoo. They will be returning to China by the end of the year, when their loan agreement expires.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.