After much anticipation, San Diego officially welcomed its Pandas to the San Diego Zoo. The two Panda’s are Yun Chuan and Xin Bao which officially arrived on June 27th, 2024. Although they have been here for 2 months, they were placed in quarantine after arriving from China. The exhibit was officially opened on August 8th, 2024.
The China Conservation & Research Center for the Giant Panda bid farewell to the pair, along with many of China’s government officials and even San Diego’s mayor Todd Gloria. Earlier this year, China’s diplomacy reignited with the United States. These pandas are the first to arrive in the U.S. in the past 21 years.
The 5-year-old male, Yun Chuan, is a panda that was born to another panda that resided in the zoo “Zhen Zhen”, who was born in 2007. He is the grandson of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, also pandas that have resided in the San Diego Zoo. In 2019, the panda loan at the Zoo ended after a little over 20 years of the agreed loan which sent Gao Gao and Bai Yun. Six additional pandas were born at the zoo but due to the panda population being endangered, they were sent back to China to help the population, in which they are now not considered endangered but vulnerable. As of now, 1,800 estimated pandas live in southwestern China.
Xin Bao is the other panda at the San Diego Zoo. She is a 4-year-old female said to be very outgoing. Xin Bao’s name means “new treasure of prosperity and abundance”. Yun Chuan’s name means “cloud” and “big river” referring to Sichuan, China which is where he is originally from.
His long, slightly pointed nose can characterize Yun Chuan. Xin Bao is known for her large, round face and big, fluffy ears. Yun Chuan is described to be kind, clever, and sensitive to others. Yun Chuan enjoys his rest as he usually sleeps in and takes long afternoon naps. He also sits for a long time after waking up, while Xin Bao is said to be alert, witty, and an excellent climber. She is also said to be more energetic than Yun Chuan, as she can roughhouse while playing with other pandas.
At the zoo, both pandas are put in different enclosures. Guests can wait in the standby line to see these pandas, although it does not actually guarantee entry to see them. Another option is a timed ticket, which is a free ticket in which you have to scan a QR code outside of the zoo in order to have a reservation time to see them.
As of now San Diego and Atlanta are the only zoos that have pandas, with Atlanta expecting its zoo to give them back in the fourth quarter of 2024. In May, the Smithsonian National Zoo announced the arrival of two pandas before the end of 2024. San Francisco Zoo also announced it is expecting to receive two additional pandas in 2025.
Pandas in San Diego are quite successful for being new and are the biggest hits in the zoo with people waiting for hours in line just to have the chance of being able to get a glimpse of them. Overall, pandas are sure to be the most famous pair of animals at the zoo.
