Excitement is in the air at the San Diego Zoo as Americans will soon meet the first pandas the zoo has had since 2019. The arrival of the pandas is not just a treat for visitors, but also a symbol of decades-long U.S.-China relations.
"It's a very exciting time for the zoo. No other species embodies that conservation mission as much as giant pandas," said Megan Owen, the zoo's head of conservation science.
New residents include Yun Chuan, a 5-year-old male panda who enjoys relaxing with a bushel of bamboo.
"He's a foodie," Owen said. "All the pandas love their food, but he definitely loves his bamboo."
Yun Chuan's roots run deep at the San Diego Zoo. His mother was born there in 2007, and his grandmother is a local legend who was the one of the zoo's first two pandas and lived there for over 20 years.
Joining Yun Chuan is 4-year-old female named Xin Bao, known for her intelligence and adventurous spirit. These are the first pandas to come to a U.S. zoo in 21 years.
The hope is that Yun Chuan and Xin Bao will parent the next generation, ushering in a renewed era of peaceful panda relations.
The first pandas who made their home in the U.S. arrived at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo in 1972. They were a gift to first lady Pat Nixon after a historic visit to China with President Richard Nixon that helped establish diplomatic relations between the countries.
From then on, 50 years of "panda diplomacy" helped boost the panda population and their popularity, with millions of adoring fans watching every tumble, snow day and birth.
China owns the pandas and typically leases them out for 10-year terms at 1 million dollars per year per pair. But with increased tensions between Beijing and the West, China appeared to be pulling back the bears as their leases expired.
However, a recent signal from Chinese President Xi Jinping indicated a thawing of icy panda relations.
In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping raised hopes his country would start sending pandas to the U.S. again after he and President Joe Biden convened in Northern California for their first face-to-face meeting in a year and pledged to try to reduce tensions.
"We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation," Xi said in late 2023.
This means more pandas are expected back at American zoos. Considering the San Diego Zoo's long history with these bears, it's a natural first stop for the pandas' encore tour.
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