San Diego Zoo to bid farewell to giant pandas

The San Diego Zoo will return its last two giant pandas to China next month, said zoo officials Monday.

"In honoring the terms of the Zoo's conservation loan agreement with the People's Republic of China, 27-year-old female giant panda Bai Yun and her son, 6-year-old Xiao Liwu, will leave the San Diego Zoo in April and will be repatriated to their ancestral homeland," said zoo officials in a statement.

As the first panda on loan, Bai Yun, or White Cloud in English, first arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1996 from China. The cuddly panda soon became an iconic image of the zoo and one of the most popular animals. The name of her son, Xiao Liwu, means Little Gift in English.

File Photo: Tourists watch giant panda cub Xiao Liwu enjoy its birthday cake during his first birthday celebration at the San Diego Zoo, California, the United States, July 29, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)

"The San Diego Zoo was honored to be chosen by conservationists in China to work with them to develop a new model for species conservation," said Douglas G. Myers, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Global.

"The panda program we began together demonstrates how powerful these collaborative efforts can be. We are extremely grateful to China for sharing the pandas with us and offering us the chance to serve this species in a leadership role," he added.

Another panda at the San Diego Zoo, 28-year-old Gao Gao, returned to China in October.

Gao Gao the panda at the San Diego Zoo in a 2013 file image. (VCG)

The San Diego Zoo started working with giant pandas more than two decades ago when the species was on the verge of extinction. The Zoo became part of an international collaboration that included the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other accredited zoos and conservation organizations, in an unprecedented international effort to prevent panda extinction.

Zoo officials noted that over the past two decades, conservation scientists have been able to raise awareness for the plight of pandas in their native habitat.

Giant panda cub Xiaoliwu (R) and its mother Bai Yun enjoy the birthday cake during his first birthday celebration at the San Diego Zoo, California, the United States, on July 29, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)

Bai Yun, Gao Gao and Bai Yun's cubs-including her sixth cub Xiao Liwu-helped scientists learned a great deal about panda behavior, pregnancy, births, and maternal and geriatric care. This knowledge allowed them the ability to provide the necessary help to boost giant pandas' wild population in China to more than 2,000 individuals.

The giant panda, a conservation-reliant vulnerable species, only lives in a few mountain ranges in central China. Thanks to continuous protection, the numbers of giant pandas living in the wild has increased from 1,114 in the 1970s to 1,864, according to a data released by China's State Forestry and Grassland Administration in 2018.

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San Diego Zoo Global staff, along with colleagues in China, are now working to determine and redefine the future of panda conservation and research, said the statement.

"Although we are sad to see these pandas go, we have great hopes for the future," said Shawn Dixon, chief operating officer of San Diego Zoo Global. "Working with our colleagues in China, San Diego Zoo Global is ready to make a commitment for the next stage of our panda program."

"We understand that pandas are beloved around the world, including by our staff, volunteers and millions of annual guests," said Dwight Scott, director of the San Diego Zoo.

"We are planning a fitting celebration next month for Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu that includes a big thank you to the Chinese people for their continued partnership and our combined conservation accomplishments in helping to save this amazing species," the director said.

Visitors can go to bid farewell to the giant pandas until April 27.

The San Diego Zoo, located in Southern California, is globally recognized as a San Diego icon by hosting more than 4 million visitors each year.