Atlanta Zoo's giant pandas will return to China by the end of the year.
Giant pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun, who call Zoo Atlanta home, will be making their way back to China later in 2024. A statement from the zoo announced that their international travel permit is currently being applied for and the pandas are expected to travel during the last quarter of the year. Specifics about their return journey are still being worked out with China.
Zoo Atlanta mentioned that they are dedicated to preserving and growing the panda population, having given birth to seven giant pandas since 2006, two of which are twin sets. The delighted parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, raised Ya Lun and Xi Lun. The other baby pandas born at the zoo have already been sent back to the Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding in China.
The Atlanta zoo's panda program has seen great success, boasting seven panda births since 2006, including two twins. Lun Lun and Yang Yang, the proud parents, also welcomed Ya Lun and Xi Lun into the world. Although their other offspring have been returned to China's research center, the zoo has yet to discuss their future plans beyond the current agreement's end in late 2024.
Other zoos have experienced the same fate. The San Diego Zoo, Memphis Zoo, and Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, have all had their pandas sent back to China. However, the San Francisco Zoo is looking forward to hosting a pair of pandas from China for the first time ever, an announcement made last April. The San Diego Zoo also shared in February that it would receive two pandas on loan from China – the first such agreement since the '90s.
Pandas have long been a symbol of friendship between China and the United States. In 1972, Beijing gifted a pair to the Smithsonian National Zoo after President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China. China's leader Xi Jinping described the bears as "envoys of friendship" between the two countries in 2023.
With approximately 1,800 pandas remaining in the wild, the species is considered vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund, who also note that they are the world's rarest bear. Habitat destruction and fragmentation have significantly contributed to their endangerment.
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Despite their successful breeding program, Zoo Atlanta must send their giant pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun back to China by the end of the year. As part of their agreement, the pandas will be traveling during the last quarter of 2024.
In contrast, the San Francisco Zoo is eagerly anticipating the arrival of a pair of pandas from China, marking their first-ever hosting of these beloved creatures. This exciting news was announced in April of this year.
Source: edition.cnn.com
