The San Diego Zoo is excited to welcome a pair of pandas from China after over 20 years. The duo may even include a female descendant of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, two previous panda residents who were known for their success in breeding while at the zoo.

On Thursday, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced that it had signed agreements with Madrid’s zoo and is currently negotiating with zoos in Washington, D.C. and Vienna. This has eased concerns that Beijing was discontinuing its long-standing practice of panda diplomacy with Western countries due to diplomatic conflicts.

“We are eager to continue to develop the findings of our research on preserving endangered species, specifically giant pandas, and fostering mutual understanding and friendship between nations through the upcoming international cooperation,” stated Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing.

The organization stated that the partnership will involve studying ways to prevent diseases and protect habitats, and will also support the construction of China’s national panda park.

Since 1972, when Beijing gave a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., before the normalization of U.S.-China relations, the black-and-white bears have been a symbol of friendship between the two countries. China has also lent pandas to zoos to aid in breeding and increase the population.

Currently, there are only four giant pandas in the United States, all residing at the zoo in Atlanta. This is due to China not extending loan agreements to three other zoos in San Diego, Washington D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee in recent times.

For 40 years, Cindy Rose has been visiting the San Diego Zoo and regularly visited Bai Yun, the zoo’s last panda, before she and her sixth cub were returned to China in 2019.

She expressed her excitement, saying, “We adore the pandas and it’s wonderful that one of them will be related to the one who was previously here.”

On Thursday, She and her spouse, Randy Rose, took their grandson to the zoo.

Randy Rose stated that he feels positive about this being a method to decrease conflicts. Despite our varying opinions, we all share a love for pandas. It is entertaining to observe them eating bamboo and scaling trees.

According to officials from the San Diego Zoo, if all necessary permits and approvals are obtained, a male and female bear will be arriving by the end of summer.

“We are filled with excitement and optimism,” stated Megan Owen, vice president of Wildlife Conservation Science at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “There is great enthusiasm for resuming panda collaboration, beginning with the San Diego Zoo.”

In November, there was a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden in Northern California. They promised to work towards reducing tensions and raising hopes that China would resume sending pandas to the U.S. In a dinner with business leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, President Xi referred to pandas as “envoys of friendship” and shared that the San Diego Zoo and people in California are eager to welcome them back.

Bai Yun, a captive-born panda from China, resided at the zoo for over 20 years and successfully gave birth to six cubs. Her partner Gao Gao, a wild-born panda from China, lived at the San Diego Zoo from 2003 to 2018 before being returned.

Over the years, conservation efforts and research conducted in captivity have successfully prevented the giant panda species from becoming extinct. This has led to a significant increase in their population, from less than 1,000 to over 1,800 in both the wild and captivity.

According to a 2022 report from America’s Congressional Research Service, zoos usually pay $1 million annually for two pandas. This money is designated for China’s conservation initiatives. When the pandas reach old age, they are sent back to China and any offspring are also sent to China at 3 or 4 years old.

A wild giant panda typically has a lifespan of approximately 15 years, however, those in captivity have been recorded to live up to 38 years.

According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, the United States, Spain, and Austria were the initial nations to collaborate with China on protecting pandas. As a result of this conservation effort, a total of 28 pandas have been born in these countries.

The Chinese public has been increasingly demanding the return of giant pandas, which are considered to be China’s “national treasure.” This is due to unverified claims on Chinese social media that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas.

The San Diego Zoo maintained their partnership with Chinese colleagues, even without pandas.

Owen, a representative from the San Diego Zoo, mentioned that China has shown a particular interest in exchanging information regarding the zoo’s successful breeding of pandas in captivity. Breeding giant pandas can be challenging due to the female’s limited reproductive window of only 48 to 72 hours per year.

Bai Yun’s first cub, Hua Mei, was the first panda born through artificial insemination to survive into adulthood outside of China, and would go on to produce 12 cubs on her own after she was sent to China.

Meanwhile, Bai Yun stayed at the zoo and gave birth to two more female cubs and three male cubs. Researchers were able to monitor her through cameras in her den, which helped contribute to the understanding of maternal care behavior, according to Owen.

She stated that we have ample expertise and resources from our previous partnership that we can utilize for our upcoming endeavors, including educating the future generation of panda conservationists.

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This report was aided by contributions from Ken Moritsugu, a writer for the Associated Press in Beijing.

Source: wral.com