SAN DIEGO -- China for the first time in more than two decades is sending pandas to the United States to the delight of the San Diego Zoo, which is preparing to receive a pair that could include a female descendent of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, two of the zoo's former residents that were among the most reproductively successful panda mates in captivity.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association said Thursday it also signed agreements with the zoo in the Spanish capital of Madrid, and is in talks with zoos in Washington, D.C., and Vienna.
"We look forward to further expanding the research outcomes on the conservation of endangered species such as giant pandas, and promoting mutual understanding and friendship among peoples through the new round of international cooperation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing.
The partnership will include research on disease prevention and habitat protection and contribute to China's national panda park construction, the organization said.
San Diego Zoo officials told The Associated Press that if all permits and other requirements are approved, the two bears, a male and a female, are expected to arrive by the end of summer.
"We're very excited and hopeful," said Megan Owen of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and vice president of Wildlife Conservation Science. "They've expressed a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to re-initiate panda cooperation starting with the San Diego Zoo."
Zoos typically pay a fee of $1 million a year for two pandas, with the money earmarked for China's conservation efforts, according to a 2022 report by America's Congressional Research Service. The pandas return to China when they reach old age and any cubs born are sent to China around age 3 or 4.
The U.S., Spain and Austria were among the first countries to work with China on panda conservation, and 28 pandas have been born in those countries, China's official Xinhua News Agency said.
Demands for the return of giant pandas, known as China's "national treasure," had grown among the Chinese public as claims that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas flooded Chinese social media.
The San Diego Zoo continued to work with their Chinese counterparts even after it no longer had any pandas.