Yun Chuan And Xin Bao, Chinese Giant Panda Taken To US San Diego

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION/Sid Balachandran

JAKARTA - The giant Panda from China is on its way to California to the San Diego zoo. This shipment marks the first time Beijing has provided a new panda loan to the United States in two decades.

The two pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, left the Bifengxia base at the Chinese Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan province on Wednesday, June 26 evening.

The rare loan was completed in February, just months after Chinese leader Xi Jinping suggested sending pandas to the San Diego Zoo as a "breaking of friendship between Chinese and American society."

Xin Bao, a female panda born in July 2020 is called a'soft' panda.

Meanwhile, Yun Chuan, a male panda born in July 2019, is a panda that is'smart and agile', reports CCTV reported by CNN, Thursday, June 27.

They were celebrated farewells at the Chinese base, attended by American and Chinese officials, including show and reward exchange, according to a statement from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

To ensure their health and safety during the trip, their team has prepared foods from fresh bamboo, bamboo, fruits, vegetables, and corn bread made specifically known as 'wotou'.

Five breeders and veterinary experts from the two countries also took part in the flight, and the Chinese experts stayed for three months after the couple arrived to help them adapt to the new environment.

The pandas will not be seen by the public for another few weeks while they adjust and once the veterinarians confirm they are ready to meet their fans in America, the zoo will announce their debut date, he said.

China lent pandas to more than 20 countries through a program often referred to as'panda diplomacy'. Panda loans with Washington began in 1972 although the number of loans has decreased in recent years due to deteriorating US-China relations.