California Welcomes Giant Pandas at San Diego Zoo
SAN DIEGO (AP) — California’s governor flew in to watch the Cubs debut. A large media crowd gathered at the zoo, while the city of San Diego warned of heavy traffic ahead of Thursday’s highly anticipated event. The San Diego Zoo has rolled out the red carpet for the first public showing of its new residents, who are already dressed in black and white. The two giant pandas, the first to enter the United States in two decades, were seen sunbathing and eating bamboo in their new home.
The Symbol of U.S.-China Friendship
For years, the Chinese government has loaned giant pandas to zoos around the world, a practice known as “panda diplomacy.” The furry ambassadors have long been a symbol of U.S.-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair of giant pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972. The arrival of a new resident at the San Diego Zoo came as China stopped renewing giant panda loans to U.S. zoos as relations between the two countries worsened.
Celebrating Shared Humanity
When Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Joe Biden in San Francisco last November, he said he was “ready to continue cooperating with the United States on giant panda conservation” and pledged to ease tensions between the two countries. On this occasion, Governor Gavin Newsom declared August 8 as California Giant Panda Day and acknowledged that the San Diego Zoo is the first organization in the United States to establish a giant panda conservation cooperation program with China. Ambassador Xie Feng emphasized the importance of the pandas in strengthening the bond between California and China.
Overall, the arrival of giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo was marked by celebration, recognition of shared humanity, and hopes for continued cooperation in conservation efforts.
