San Diego is abuzz with excitement as two new giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, make their way from China to California. This marks the first time in two decades that Beijing has granted new panda loans to the United States. The pandas, a male and a female born in July 2019 and 2020 respectively, left the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan province and embarked on a chartered flight to their new home at the San Diego Zoo.
The rare loan agreement was finalized in February following a suggestion by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to send pandas as symbols of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. Xin Bao is described as gentle and well-behaved, while Yun Chuan is known for being smart and lively.
