Giant panda pair Yunchuan and Xinbao bound for San Diego Zoo on 10-year cooperation project

China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced on Saturday that the China Wildlife Conservation Association has signed a giant panda conservation cooperation agreement with the San Diego Zoo in the US and will select a pair of giant pandas to be relocated to the San Diego Zoo to initiate a 10-year international cooperation project for giant panda conservation.

The Chinese side has selected giant pandas "Yunchuan" (male) and "Xinbao" (female), from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, and has arranged experienced keepers and veterinarians to accompany the two pandas to the US, according to a release from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
The zoo is currently renovating and upgrading the giant panda facility to create a larger and more comfortable living environment for the pandas and has assembled a professional team with experience in giant panda care and management, daily care, and related research technologies, who have previously studied and exchanged experiences in China, to take care of the two pandas.

To ensure the health of the two giant pandas in the US, in March of this year, the China Wildlife Conservation Association organized experts to travel to the US and conduct in-depth discussions with the San Diego Zoo, providing technical guidance and exchanging experiences to clarify standards and requirements for giant panda care, living environments, and health care, said the release.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the top five zoos in the world. According to the agreement, both sides are actively advancing preparations related to the giant pandas' journey to the US.