ATLANTA (AP) — Zoo Atlanta’s last four giant pandas will be transferred to China next month as their 25-year agreement with the country expires.
“While Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun will certainly be missed by Zoo Atlanta and their departure is bittersweet, they have left a meaningful legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, not only shaping 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, zoo president and CEO.
The move This comes after the National Zoo in Washington returned three pandas to China last November. Other American zoos have sent pandas back to China as loan contracts expired due to rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Atlanta received Lun Lun and Yang Yang in 1999 under a loan agreement from China. Ya Lun and Xi Lun are their twins, born in the United States in 2016. They are the youngest of seven pandas born at Zoo Atlanta since 2006. Their siblings, including another pair of twins, are already being cared for by China’s Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding.
With only about three weeks left to visit the beloved pandas, the zoo is planning a “Panda Palooza” event on October 5 with special activities to say goodbye to the animals.
