Two Giant Pandas From China Successfully Make The San Diego Zoo Shock

Panda at the San Diego Zoo. (Photo: San Diego Zoo)

JAKARTA - Two giant pandas that arrived just two weeks ago in the United States, were finally introduced to the public at the San Diego Zoo, California.

These two pandas immediately became the favorites of visitors with a male named Yun Chuan, 5 years old, and Xin Bao, a 4 year old female.

It is known that pandas in China are gentle creatures, eat every two to four hours and take a nap for almost 12 hours every day. They were removed from the endangered species list in 2016, after 26 years of intensive conservation efforts. However, efforts to keep their population high must continue.

"This is extraordinary," San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told ABC News, quoted August 10.

"I'm trying to be professional, but I'm very happy. We know people like these creatures, and what we want to do is take advantage of that love to make sure they continue to grow," he added.

The arrival of this panda is part of " panda diplomacy," a strategy China has used for decades to show their soft strength and improve relations with the United States. This strategy is believed to have existed since the Tang Dynasty and was re-practice during the Nixon administration to ease tensions between the two superpowers. This reminds us that international relations are not always black and white.

"One of the important things about giant panda conservation is that they are a bridge between our people in the US and China," said San Diego Zoo CEO Paul Baribault.

"We are working with our partners in China to develop new conservation projects and programs to continue the preservation of giant pandas over the coming decade," he continued.

Two more pandas are reported to be following the United States later this year to the National Zoo airing in Washington DC.