ZooAtlanta
20 September 2024
Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun travel to China in mid-October
ATLANTA – September 20, 2024 – Giant pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun will travel to China in mid-October 2024, coinciding with the expiration of the agreement between Zoo Atlanta and China regarding giant pandas at the end of the same month.
Zoo Atlanta cannot provide an exact date for the pandas’ departure, but friends and fans who wish to visit the giant pandas are asked to do so within the next three weeks.
Before their departure, the giant pandas can be viewed at the zoo’s Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s Giant Panda Conservation Center.
“While Zoo Atlanta will certainly miss Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun and their departure is bittersweet, they have created a meaningful legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, shaping not only the hearts of their friends and fans, but also the scientific and zoological community’s understanding of the behavior, biology and care of this rare and treasured species,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO. “It has been an honor to be able to share this remarkable family with our members and guests for 25 years.”
2024 is the 25th.th Anniversary of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda program. Zoo Atlanta’s partnership with counterparts in China dates back to the mid-1990s, before the arrival of Lun Lun and Yang Yang in 1999, and has a long history of collaboration and information sharing that has benefited giant panda care, research and conservation.
Zoo Atlanta will host a “Panda Palooza” event with special activities to celebrate the giant pandas’ retirement on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more event details, visit zooatlanta.org.
Since the inception of its giant panda program, Zoo Atlanta has supported the conservation of wild giant pandas and is fortunate to be able to support giant pandas in nature reserves. Zoo Atlanta’s conservation support benefits habitat restoration, reserve management, ranger support, and genetic diversity research.
The Chinese government has invested considerable human, material and financial resources to continuously promote the restoration and protection of wild giant pandas’ habitat, and has gradually established 67 giant panda reserves. In 2021, a habitat protection system was established with the Giant Panda National Park as the main body, further improving the connectivity, coordination and integrity of giant pandas’ habitat. 72% of wild giant pandas are under strict protection.
In addition to supporting conservation efforts and contributing to the global scientific knowledge of giant pandas, their biology, and behavior, Zoo Atlanta’s Cooperative Panda Conservation Program has been remarkably successful in terms of future contributions to the species’ population. Since 2006, seven giant pandas have been born at the Zoo, including two successful sets of twins. Lun Lun and Yang Yang’s offspring include Mei Lan (born 2006); Xi Lan (born 2008); Po (born 2010); twins Mei Lun and Mei Huan (born 2013); and twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun (born 2016). Mei Lan, Xi Lan, Po, Mei Lun, and Mei Huan are now living at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in China and have all become parents of their own.
Visit this page Visit zooatlanta.org to see the pandas on PandaCam presented by Cricket. View a comprehensive resource of frequently asked questions. Watch a commemorative video and digital book. Read blog posts and more.
