SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — When China reclaimed the giant pandas from the San Diego Zoo in 2019, Zoo officials never gave up hope that the beloved animals would someday return. That possibility looks a lot stronger after comments by Chinese President Xi Jinping in support of resuming a partnership with the United States on panda conservation, while specifically name-checking the San Diego Zoo in the process.
“I also learned that the San Diego Zoo and the Californians very much look forward to welcoming pandas back," Xi said in a press conference in San Francisco Wednesday after meeting with President Biden. “We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen friendly ties between our peoples.”
San Diego Zoo are reacting to President Xi's comments with excitement. "Conservation starts with people, and our team is committed to working with our partners to welcome the next generation of giant pandas to our zoo..." said Zoo President and CEO Paul A. Baribault in a statement to ABC 10News.
Pandas first arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1996. Six cubs were born in San Diego between then and when China took the bears back amid heightened political tensions and a trade war.
Zoo Atlanta is the only location in the United States to currently host giant pandas. The agreement is set to expire in 2024, with the zoo already announcing the animals are expected to return to China at that time. The other two zoos that housed pandas, the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and the Memphis Zoo, returned those bears to China earlier this year.
