Pair of giant pandas set to travel from China to San Diego Zoo under conservation partnership

A brace of elephantine pandas volition soon marque the travel from China to the U.S., wherever they volition beryllium cared for astatine the San Diego Zoo

SAN DIEGO -- A brace of elephantine pandas volition soon marque the travel from China to the U.S., wherever they volition beryllium cared for astatine the San Diego Zoo arsenic portion of an ongoing conservation concern betwixt the 2 nations, officials said Monday.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said its caretakers precocious visited China to conscionable the elephantine pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, up of their planned travel to Southern California. An nonstop day for the handoff hasn't been set.

Yun Chuan, a mild-mannered antheral who's astir 5 years old, has “deep connections” to California, the wildlife confederation said. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was calved astatine the San Diego Zoo successful 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao.

Xin Bao is simply a astir 4-year-old pistillate described arsenic “a gentle and witty introvert with a saccharine circular look and large ears.”

“Our conservation partners successful China shared photographs and property traits of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, but gathering them successful idiosyncratic was truthful special," said Dr. Megan Owen, the alliance's vice president of conservation science. “It’s inspiring arsenic radical from astir the satellite travel unneurotic to conserve, protect, and attraction for these peculiar bears, and we can’t hold to invited them to San Diego.”

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has a astir 30-year concern with starring conservation institutions successful China focused connected protecting and recovering elephantine pandas and the bamboo forests they beryllium on.