Zoo is Set to Receive the First Panda Pair to
Enter the U.S. in 21 Years
SAN
DIEGO, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A delegation
of representatives from the United
States, including leaders of San Diego Zoo Wildlife
Alliance, joined esteemed dignitaries and conservation leaders
earlier today in China at the
China Conservation & Research Center for Giant Pandas in
Sichuan province for a farewell
ceremony honoring the two giant pandas coming to the San Diego
Zoo.
The historic ceremony commemorating the departure of pandas
Yun Chuan and Xin Bao was attended by San Diego Zoo Wildlife
Alliance President and CEO Paul
Baribault, San Diego Mayor
Todd Gloria, and U.S. and Chinese
dignitaries. It included cultural performances, video salutations
from Chinese and American students and a gift exchange among
conservation partners.
The panda pair Yun Chuan and
Xin Bao, the first to enter
the United States in 21 years,
will travel to the San Diego Zoo soon after the farewell ceremony.
After the pandas have safely arrived in San Diego, they will not be viewable to the
public for several weeks while they acclimate to their new
home. 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 the beloved pandas.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Yun Chuan and Xin
Bao to the San Diego Zoo," said Baribault. "This farewell
celebrates their journey and underscores a collaboration between
the United States and China on vital conservation efforts. Our
long-standing partnership with China Wildlife Conservation
Association has been instrumental in advancing giant panda
conservation, and we look forward to continuing our work together
to ensure the survival and thriving of this iconic
species."
The multinational ceremony reflects the deep connections pandas
have to San Diego Zoo, which was the first Zoo in the United States to have a cooperative panda
conservation program. Yun Chuan, a
nearly five-year-old male, is the son of Zhen Zhen, who was born at San Diego Zoo in
2007.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the
conservation partnership between San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
and China Wildlife Conservation Association. The collaboration has
greatly advanced giant panda conservation, leading to the
downgrading of the giant panda's status from Endangered to
Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) in 2016. The efforts include developing a giant panda milk
formula and, with our partners, other neonatal conservation
techniques that dramatically increased survival rates for
nursery-reared cubs from less than 10% to over 90%, as well as
advanced reproductive techniques and the contribution of valuable
expertise to efforts led by Chinese scientists to track wild giant
pandas at the Foping National Nature Reserve using GPS technology.
The ongoing collaboration aims to further enhance the health and
resilience of giant panda populations, especially the most
vulnerable and isolated groups.
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 and flourishing populations. The
conservation collaboration between San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
and China Wildlife Conservation Association aims to improve giant
panda population health and resilience in some of the smallest and
most isolated populations vulnerable to extinction and loss of
genetic diversity.
About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader,
inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier
world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science
through global partnerships. Through wildlife care, science
expertise and collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have
been reintroduced to native habitats. Annually, the Alliance
reaches over 1 billion people, in person at the San Diego Zoo and
San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and virtually in 150 countries
through media channels, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers
television programming in children's hospitals in 14 countries.
Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success
possible.
PRESS ROOM:
https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/PR/panda-farewell
Link includes:
- Photo from farewell ceremony (left to right):
- Megan Owen, Ph.D, vice president of conservation science,
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- Paul Baribault, president and
chief executive officer, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- Lu Yongbin, secretary, China Conservation & Research Center
for Giant Pandas
- Dr. Li Desheng, chief scientist and deputy director, China
Conservation & Research Center for Giant Pandas
- Video interview with Megan Owen, Ph.D, vice president of
conservation science, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
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CONTACT:
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Public Relations
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publicrelations@sdzwa.org
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SOURCE San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance