California’s governor flew in for the young bears’ debut. Throngs of media gathered inside the zoo, while the city of San Diego warned of traffic jams ahead of the much-anticipated event on Thursday.
The San Diego zoo rolled out the red carpet for the first public showing of its newest residents: two giant pandas, the first to enter the US in two decades.
For years, the Chinese government has loaned pandas to zoos around the world in a practice called “panda diplomacy”.
The fuzzy ambassadors have long been a symbol of the US-China friendship, ever since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National zoo in Washington DC in 1972. As relations soured between the two countries, China stopped renewing panda loans to US zoos. But last year, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, said he was “ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation” and pledged to reduce tensions between the two countries.
Only four other giant pandas currently reside in the United States, all at the zoo in Atlanta. The Smithsonian’s National zoo will receive a new pair of pandas by the end of the year after its last bears returned to China last November. As part of the loan agreement, US zoos typically pay $1m a year toward China’s wildfire conservation efforts, and all cubs born in the US must return to China by age four.
In San Diego, the arrival of both pandas at the end of June came as a big relief. The city’s previous pandas left in 2018 and 2019. Thursday’s ceremony celebrating the opening of the zoo’s panda area included dancing, music and remarks from Gavin Newsom, Chinese ambassador Xie Feng and other local officials.
“This is about something much deeper, much richer, than just the two beautiful pandas we celebrate,” the California governor said. “It’s about celebrating our common humanity.”
For the occasion, Newsom proclaimed 8 August as California Panda Day and recognized the San Diego zoo as the first organization in the US to establish a cooperative panda conservation program with China.
In his remarks, the Chinese ambassador echoed Newsom’s sentiments. “We hope that the arrival of the pandas will inject fresh impetus into exchanges between China and California, and help stabilize the broader bilateral relationship, as well,” he said.
He added he had met someone on his flight who had traveled all the way from Washington DC to see the pandas.
“Two little panda fans from California wrote several letters to me proposing giving China grizzly bears to get pandas,” the ambassador said, eliciting laughs.
Both pandas were born at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base in China’s Sichuan province.
Yun Chuan is a nearly five-year-old male panda described by the zoo as “mild-mannered, gentle and lovable” and recognizable by his pointy nose. He is the grandson of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, who both lived at the San Diego zoo for more than a decade. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was the fourth cub born at the zoo.
Zoo officials told CBS8 that Yun Chuan looks “extremely comfortable whether he is exploring on the grass or climbing trees”.
Xin Bao is a nearly four-year-old female panda described by the zoo as a “gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears”.
“Her name means ‘a treasure of prosperity and abundance’, and we hope she will bring you good luck,” the ambassador said.
Yun Chuan enjoys “sunbathing quietly and focusing on her favorite food”.
