Current:Home > Contact-usMore pandas are coming to the US. This time to San Francisco, the first time since 1985-InfoLens
More pandas are coming to the US. This time to San Francisco, the first time since 1985
View Date:2024-12-23 11:13:53
Just a few weeks after the San Diego Zoo announced that they were bringing back pandas to the United States, the San Francisco Zoo said that they're bringing the cuddly bears to northern California.
"We’re thrilled for the return of the Giant Panda to San Francisco Zoo & Gardens after all these years," Tanya Peterson, the zoo's executive director said in a statement. "The Giant Panda symbolizes hope for conservation collaboration and bridges divides between cultural differences." We thank Mayor London Breed, city leaders, and colleagues in China for returning these amazing ambassadors to beautiful San Francisco!"
The pandas are being brought to San Francisco as part of China's Panda Diplomacy program, Mayor London Breed's office said in a news release.
Breed said that the city was thrilled to be welcoming the giant pandas that efforts to bring them to the zoo had been ongoing for nearly a year, prior to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting in San Francisco last November, during which U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Chinese President Xi Jinping met.
"These Giant Pandas will honor our deep cultural connections and our Chinese and API (Asian/Pacific Islander) heritage," the mayor said. "It’s an honor that our city has been chosen for the first time to be a long-term home for Giant Pandas. They will bring residents and visitors from all over who come to visit them at the SF Zoo."
Pandas last came to San Francisco in 1985
The pandas were last at the San Francisco zoo on temporary visits in 1984 and 1985, according to the mayor's office and the zoo.
"In 1984, two pandas named Yun-Yun and Ying-Xin visited the zoo for three months as part of the 1984 Summer Olympics tour, and drew more than 260,000 visitors to the San Francisco Zoo, roughly four times the average attendance during the time," the mayor's office said.
The pandas visited the zoo again for three months in 1985.
When are the giant pandas coming to the San Francisco zoo?
The timing of the arrival of the pandas has not been announced.
The mayor's office said that a date will be set once the panda enclosure at the zoo is complete. Preliminary work on that has already begun and engineers from the Beijing Zoo travelled to San Francisco to meet with officials of the zoo and assist in the preparations.
Why did pandas get removed from zoos in the US?
Zoos across the country returned their pandas last year because of the rocky relationship between the U.S. and China.
Three beloved pandas, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao QI Ji, were sent back to China from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in November after attempts to renew a three-year agreement with China Wildlife Conservation Association failed.
The decision to return them came after Jinping, who called pandas "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples," met with Biden in November.
"I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas and went to the zoo to see them off," Xi said.
Mayor Breed sent a letter to Jinping in Feburary along with over 70 local Chinese and API community and merchant leaders and requested for San Francisco to receive the pandas.
China's history of loaning out pandas
China gifted the first panda to the U.S. in 1972 after President Richard Nixon formalized normal relations with China. The practice was dubbed "panda diplomacy."
Over the years, China has loaned pandas to other foreign zoos in hopes that it will build ties with those countries.
Contributing: Julia Gomez, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
veryGood! (46823)
Related
- Jana Kramer’s Ex Mike Caussin Shares Resentment Over Her Child Support Payments
- 911 calls show fears of residents and friends after a young man got shot entering the wrong home
- Army doctor to face court martial following allegations of sexual abuse
- Evers goes around GOP to secure grant for largest land conservation purchase in Wisconsin history
- Singles' Day vs. Black Friday: Which Has the Best Deals for Smart Shoppers?
- Group sues Arkansas attorney general for not approving government records ballot measure
- U.S. and U.K. conduct airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen
- Illinois shootings leave 8 people killed; suspect dead of self-inflicted gunshot in Texas, police say
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- Army doctor to face court martial following allegations of sexual abuse
Ranking
- 32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
- The 2024 Oscar Nominations Are Finally Here
- Felons must get gun rights back if they want voting rights restored, Tennessee officials say
- UK gives Northern Ireland a new deadline to revive its collapsed government as cost of living soars
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- Will Ferrell's best friend came out as trans. He decided to make a movie about it.
- Norman Jewison, Oscar-nominated director of 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Moonstruck,' dies at 97
- A pastor and a small Ohio city tussle over the legality of his 24/7 homeless ministry
Recommendation
-
Lions QB Jared Goff, despite 5 interceptions, dared to become cold-blooded
-
Why Joe Biden isn't on the 2024 New Hampshire primary ballot — and what it means for the election
-
Former orphanage founder in Haiti faces federal charges of sexually abusing minors
-
EU officials urge Bosnia to press ahead with reform in order to start accession negotiations
-
Shaun White Reveals How He and Fiancée Nina Dobrev Overcome Struggles in Their Relationship
-
A blast of cold lets gators show off a special skill to survive icy weather
-
Mississippi restrictions on medical marijuana advertising upheld by federal judge
-
Spanish police arrest suspect in killing of 3 siblings over debts reportedly linked to romance scam