China is taking back the last four giant pandas in America.
Zoo Atlanta will return Lun Lun and Yang Yang and their twins, Ya Lun and Xi Lun, to China by the end of the year as a 25-year agreement that brought Lun Lun and Yang Yang to Atlanta expires, according to the New York Post.
The younger pandas were born at the zoo in 2016.
The pandas have been the only ones in the U.S. since November, when three pandas from the National Zoo in Washington went back to China after spending 10 years in D.C.
Zoo Atlanta is preparing to send its giant pandas back to China, following suit with other states, the zoo confirmed Friday in a press release.https://t.co/WAb3uCGJeN
— WJBF (@WJBF) May 19, 2024
“The terms of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda loan with China have always included the stipulation that per the terms of the loan agreement, all offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang travel to China when they are of age,” the zoo said in a statement in November, according to the Post.
“All five of Ya Lun’s and Xi Lun’s older siblings have done so and now live in China.”
China began what was termed “panda diplomacy” in 1972 by loaning the animals to American zoos, but has always retained ownership.
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“The reason for the deal’s expiration is not a single isolated event or condition not being met. It reflects the more general sentiment of the Chinese government toward another country,” Barbara K. Bodine, director of Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, wrote in a commentary for the university’s website.
While the pandas leaving D.C. will be the last of the animals on loan to the United States, there could be more in the near future.
In February, Chinese officials indicated that the country was sending two pandas to the San Diego Zoo, according to The Associated Press. If all permits are approved, the pandas — a male and a female — could be in San Diego by the end of the summer, AP reported.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association said it also agreed to send pandas to zoos in Washington, D.C, Madrid and Vienna.
“We look forward to further expanding the research outcomes on the conservation of endangered species such as giant pandas, and promoting mutual understanding and friendship among peoples through the new round of international cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Mao Ning said, according to the AP.
On April 27, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced that pandas Yunchuan and Xinbao will go to the San Diego Zoo for a period of 10 years. #panda #animal pic.twitter.com/fGksBX3WhW
— Pandaworld (@thanh40180) April 27, 2024
The San Francisco Zoo could also be getting pandas, but it’s not a done deal.
Mayor London Breed announced in an April 19 news release that the city’s zoo had been selected for pandas.
However, on Thursday, KGO-TV in San Francisco reported that a fundraising plan by Mayor London Breed had run into opposition from the city’s Board of Supervisors.
According to KGO, Breed’s plan aims to use only private donations, not taxpayer money.
The zoo had pandas in 1984 and 1985.
