YA’AN, China — The first new giant pandas to arrive in the United States in more than two decades are traveling from China to San Diego, as Beijing returns to using the black and white bears as a tool of diplomacy.
A farewell ceremony on Wednesday near the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base in southwest China’s Sichuan province was attended by representatives from China and the U.S., including officials from the San Diego Zoo and the mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria. The panda boxes were then loaded onto a truck that headed to the airport in Chengdu, the provincial capital.
Gloria said she was “very happy” about the return of pandas to the San Diego Zoo, which has cooperated with China on pandas for nearly 30 years but has not hosted any since 2019.
“This continues our long history of being really positive actors in the conservation of animals in general, but particularly endangered animals, like pandas used to be,” he told NBC News in an interview at the panda base before the dedication ceremony. farewell.
It is also a step forward in relations between the US and China, the world’s two largest economies, as they try to repair ties strained by disputes over trade, technology, the status of Taiwan and other issues.
“This is a wonderful way to engage our two countries in something that is undeniably positive,” said Gloria.
The pandas’ departure was shrouded in secrecy to avoid attracting crowds, including fans whose enthusiasm for the bears can be obsessive.
San Diego Zoo officials added that the bears, who are on loan for 10 years, will not be able to be seen by the public for several weeks while they settle in, and that a debut date will be announced later.
The two bears are Yun Chuan, a 4-year-old male, and Xin Bao, a 3-year-old female. Yun Chuan’s mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007.
Yun Chuan is “very outgoing and lively,” said Huang Shan, a giant panda keeper at the Ya’an facility. “He enjoys interacting with his caregivers and often runs when he hears their footsteps.”
Xin Bao is “a little more introverted, but very intelligent and alert,” Huang said. “She pays close attention to sounds like birds chirping and insects buzzing.”
The two pandas “seem to like each other,” he said, spending “a lot of time” interacting through a communication tunnel during quarantine before departure.
Several pandas that lived in the US returned to China last year, including three from the Washington National Zoo, leaving the four bears from the Atlanta Zoo as the only pandas in the US. With the loan agreement for these pandas expiring this year, there were concerns that the US could end up without any of the bears after decades of panda diplomacy with China.
Hopes were raised last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested during a visit to California that more pandas could be on their way to the US and, specifically, San Diego.
“We got on the next flight we could and had some meetings to figure out what this moment would look like,” said Paul Baribault, president and chief executive of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which runs the zoo.
More pandas are expected to arrive at other U.S. zoos, including in Washington and San Francisco.
During their quarantine period in China, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao received medical care and training, including learning commands in English.
The pandas also had to be prepared for the 7,000-mile plane ride, getting used to spending time in their crates.
They are being accompanied by keepers and veterinarians from China and the U.S., including Americans who came to China previously and “knew pandas well,” Huang said.
The Chinese team will spend about three months in San Diego helping the pandas settle in.
The pandas will be well-fed during the trip: “We have prepared a variety of delicious, well-textured bamboo shoots, along with carrots, apples, cornbread and your favorite bamboo,” Huang said.
In the US, however, they will have to get used to different bamboo varieties than those in Sichuan – which can be especially difficult for Yun Chuan, a picky eater.
“It may take some time initially to adapt to the new diet on the American side,” Huang said. “They may not eat as well at first, but we believe that because the San Diego Zoo has already fed our pandas, they will adapt quickly.”
In preparation for their arrival, the pandas’ habitat at the San Diego Zoo was “completely renovated,” said Megan Owen, vice president of conservation science at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. It grew several times in size and had “great complexity” added to it.
“We included topographical features similar to what you can see here,” she said in Ya’an, such as steep slopes, lots of trees and other foliage.
As for when the pandas will be ready for public display, it depends on how long they will spend in quarantine upon arrival and whether they will need more time to adapt to their enclosure.
“It’s up to them to let us know when they’re ready,” Owen said.
Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Ya’an, China, and Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
