ATLANTA – Panda fans don’t have much time left to see the quartet of giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta before they head to China.
The zoo announced that pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun will travel to China in mid-October 2024 as the agreement between Zoo Atlanta and China expires.
Currently, the four pandas are among the only representatives of their species in the United States. The others are Yun Chuan and Xin Bao at the San Diego Zoo.
Every giant panda in the U.S. is on loan from the Chinese government as part of a 50-year conservation program. That loan expired for most zoos except Atlanta in December, although other zoos have been working on new agreements with China in the months since.
The zoo has not yet announced when the pandas will leave Atlanta, but fans who want to see the animals should do so in the next three weeks, officials say.
“While Zoo Atlanta will certainly miss Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun and their departure is bittersweet, they have left a meaningful legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, not only touching the hearts of their friends and fans but also strengthening 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 of Zoo Atlanta.
To celebrate the animals, the zoo is hosting a “Panda Palooza” event on Saturday, October 5, 2024. The zoo is also offering a 45-minute experience and guided tour where visitors can get an exclusive look at the pandas.
Click here for more information about the tour.
Zoo Atlanta’s Panda Story
The Atlanta Zoo is the last place in the US where you can see pandas
Soon, the Atlanta Zoo will be the only place in the country where you can find giant pandas. All of the pandas in the U.S. were on loan from China, and now China wants them back.
China first loaned giant pandas to the United States in 1972 to commemorate President Nixon’s historic visit to the communist country. Given the tense situation between the United States and Chinese President Xi Jinping, this is a sign of the times, according to foreign policy researchers.
“You see it with the pandas, with its attacks on the dollar, even with its nuclear weapons,” said Rebecca Grant of IRIS Independent Research. “Frankly, the Chinese Communist Party just doesn’t need to do any more panda diplomacy.”
Zoo Atlanta has been working with China on research into the care and conservation of the species since the mid-1990s. Lun Lun and Yang Yang came to the zoo in 1999. Since 2006, seven giant pandas have been born at the zoo, including 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).
During the 50 years of the panda exchange, the animal was removed from the endangered species list, although it is believed that fewer than 1,900 giant pandas remain in the wild in China.
