Zoo Atlanta pandas to return to China after giant panda deal expires

GEORGIA (WRBL) — Four pandas from Zoo Atlanta will return to China later this year when the zoo’s giant panda deal expires. According to CBS News, these are the last four giant pandas remaining in American zoos.

Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun are expected to leave their home at Zoo Atlanta in the fourth quarter of 2024. The zoo has applied for the international travel permit for the pandas.

The precise timeline will be determined as the zoo collaborates with official partners in China. Zoo Atlanta hopes to be able to provide advance notice of the pandas’ departure, as the process of returning them to China requires months of planning.

This should give fans and friends plenty of time to visit the four pandas before they leave.

Since the start of its giant panda program, Zoo Atlanta says it has contributed more than $17 million to the conservation of wild giant pandas. In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature updated the giant panda’s status from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”

According to zoo statistics, fewer than 1,900 giant pandas remain in the wild in China. The majority of them live in nature reserves, with habitat loss and fragmentation remaining the main threat to the giant panda.

Since 2006, seven pandas have been born at Zoo Atlanta, including two sets of twins.

Zoo Atlanta is planning a “summer of celebration” to commemorate its 25-year giant panda program. The launch event featuring performances and educational activities will take place on Saturday, June 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.