3 weeks ago
"Panda diplomacy" history betwixt U.S., China
After astir each of nan elephantine pandas connected indebtedness astatine U.S. zoos were returned to China, nan San Diego Zoo has announced they will get 2 caller pandas from nan country. They are expected to get this summer.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced Sunday that its attraction squad leaders visited China and met 2 elephantine pandas – Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, who will beryllium cared for astatine nan California zoo.
Yun Chuan is almost 5 years aged and is nan grandson of Bai Yun, who lived astatine nan San Diego Zoo for 23 years, nan zoo said successful a news release. His sanction is simply a operation of his grandmother's and nan state wherever he came from, Chuan.
Xin Bao is almost 4 years aged and, for illustration Yun Chuan, was calved astatine China's Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base. The sanction Xin Bao intends "new wealth of prosperity and abundance," and nan zoo describes her arsenic "a gentle and witty introvert pinch a saccharine information look and large ears."
"Our conservation partners successful China shared photographs and characteristic traits of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, but gathering them successful personification was truthful special," said Dr. Megan Owen, vice president of conservation subject astatine San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. "It's inspiring arsenic group from astir nan world travel together to conserve, protect, and attraction for these typical bears, and we can't hold to invited them to San Diego."
Giant panda Mei Xiang and her cub Bei Bei(R) play successful their enclosure August 24, 2016 astatine nan National Zoo successful Washington, DC. These were nan astir caller pandas to beryllium returned to China past year.
Karen Bleier via Getty Images
The China Wildlife and Conservation Association has lent pandas to nan U.S. since 1972 – an statement dubbed "panda diplomacy." Under nan agreement, nan Smithsonian National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Memphis Zoo and San Diego Zoo each received pandas and worked pinch China connected investigation and conservation projects.
The statement pinch nan zoos was extended respective times. In 1987, San Diego received 2 pandas for a 100-day visit, but yet signed a 12-year statement and received 2 pandas, named Bai Yun and Shi Shi, successful 1996. The statement kept getting extended and a full of six pandas were calved astatine nan zoo. All of them returned to China by 2019.
The Memphis Zoo had a 20-year indebtedness statement pinch China, which ended successful April 2023, the Associated Press reported.
And nan National Zoo successful Washington, D.C. started receiving pandas successful 1972. In 2023, their statement ended and nan zoo returned 2 pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, who had been astatine nan zoo since 2000, and their babe Xiao Qi Ji, who was calved successful 2020.
The Atlanta Zoo is nan only zoo successful nan U.S. to still person pandas connected indebtedness from China, but their agreement, which was put successful spot successful nan mid-1990s, expires successful 2024 and they are expected to return their pandas Lun Lun and nan Yang and their offspring, Ya Lun and Xi Lun by nan extremity of nan year.
The San Diego Zoo said it met pinch conservation partners from nan China Wildlife Conservation Association to talk investigation and conservation programs. Over nan past 30 years, nan zoo has collaborated pinch conservation institutions successful China to study nan reproductive behavior, physiology, nutritional requirements, residence needs and genetics of pandas.
The zoo moreover developed a panda beverage formula, which, on pinch different research, has helped summation endurance rates of babe pandas from 5% to 95%. They besides completed nan first successful artificial fertilization of a elephantine panda extracurricular of China.
"Our business complete nan decades has served arsenic a powerful illustration of how, erstwhile we activity together, we tin execute what was erstwhile thought to beryllium impossible," said Owen. "We person a shared extremity of creating a sustainable early for elephantine pandas."
As of 2023, only 1,864 pandas stay successful nan wild, mostly successful China's Sichuan Province. Breeding programs person been successful and nan once-endangered type was upgraded to "vulnerable" by nan International Union for Conservation of Nature successful 2017, according to nan World Wildlife Fund.
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Caitlin O'Kane
Caitlin O'Kane is simply a New York City journalist who useful connected nan CBS News societal media squad arsenic a elder head of contented and production. She writes astir a assortment of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses connected bully news.
