San Diego Zoo lays out plans for pandas in application filed ahead of arrival
Above: An April 29 report from FOX 5 on the two giant pandas coming to San Diego.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Zoo could be ready as early as June to welcome the newest set of visiting giant pandas from China, according to an application submitted by zoo officials to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Alliance earlier this year.
The 168-page application, which was filed shortly after their return was announced in February and details the preparations zoo officials have been making since, offers new insight into the loan agreement with China and what San Diegans can expect when the beloved bears arrive.
In the permit proposal, San Diego Zoo officials said their agreement with Chinese partners will last 10 years and carries strict instructions governing their care.
The agreement, as detailed by the permit, stipulates that any panda cubs born during this 10-year stay in San Diego will remain at the zoo until at least the age of two, but will need to be sent to China before they turn four years old.
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As a cornerstone of the agreement, the application also details some of the research and conservation activities the zoo’s wildlife teams hope to engage in throughout the duration of the panda bears’ stay in San Diego.
This includes work on issues of panda health, well-being and reproductive output building on previous breeding work — efforts that helped supplemented the population enough for the species to be downgraded from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” in 2021.
Zoo officials said they also hope to focus on research areas that could further aid the recovery of giant panda populations, such as human-wildlife coexistence, climate change impact mitigation and how technology can be leveraged to protect pandas and the health of their native habitats.
Previous research conducted while caring for pandas at the San Diego Zoo included the development of a milk formula that was described as “critically important” to baby panda bears’ survival.
So far, San Diego Zoo officials have announced they will be welcoming two young panda bears into their care under the current agreement, although they noted the bears’ habitat will have the space to accommodate upwards of four.
In the application to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the zoo said it is in the midst of renovating the enclosure where the pandas used to reside before they left in 2018 to dramatically increase the space for these bears.
According to the document, crews have been working to combine the two public sections of the existing enclosure and expand into an adjacent habitat space, significantly expanding its available space for both the bears and guests.
The enclosure will be about 6,000 square feet in size, according to the application. While guest viewing capacity will be around 173 guests at a time, up from the previous enclosure’s 80 guests. Zoo officials said in the application the updated enclosure is expected to be complete by June.
Blueprint of the existing panda bear habitat at the San Diego Zoo. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) Blueprint of the renovated panda bear habitat at the San Diego Zoo. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
The zoo is also in the midst of adding additional indoor holding space for the pandas, the application added, although a timeline for when that would be ready was not detailed.
In case these spaces are not ready by the time the pandas arrive, the application said there are contingency plans in place, including placing them in another bear exhibit temporarily.
While the zoo may be ready to welcome the set of panda bears by next month, the application will need to be approved by federal regulators before transportation from China can be finalized. Once they arrive, there will also be a quarantine period before they can be viewed by the public.
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FOX 5/KUSI reached out to San Diego Zoo officials for further comment on where in the process they are in bringing the bears over, but did not receive a response.
Last month, the San Diego Zoo unveiled the pair of pandas slated to make the journey across the Pacific Ocean: Yun Chuan (pronounced yoon chu-an) and Xin Bao (pronounced sing bao). The announcement came after zoo officials traveled to China to meet the bears.
Photo of Yun Chuan. (Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) Photo of Yun Chuan. (Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) Photo of Xin Bao. (Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) Photo of Xin Bao. (Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
Yun Chuan, a four-year-old male, was described as mild-mannered, gentle and lovable. He also already has ties to the San Diego Zoo: His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the zoo back in 2007. His grandmother, Bai Yun, lived at the San Diego Zoo for 23 years.
Xin Bao, a three-year-old female, was described as an introvert who is gentle, but witty. She has a sweet round face and big ears. Zoo officials said her name means “new treasure of prosperity and abundance.”
Both pandas were born at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base in Sichuan, according to the zoo.
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