San Diego Zoo expands panda exhibit fourfold

(ECNS) -- The San Diego Zoo in the U.S. has expanded its panda exhibit fourfold, creating a lush and vibrant new home for giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, veterinarian Ling Shanshan from the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas told China News Service on Wednesday.

In late June, giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao departed from Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, and arrived at the San Diego Zoo in California via charter flight.

Ling, one of the two Chinese experts accompanying them, will stay at the San Diego Zoo for about three months to assist the pandas in passing through quarantine and adjusting to their new environment.

The exhibit features spacious hills, climbing structures, and verdant vegetation, providing the pandas with a natural and comfortable new home. Bamboo landscapes planted in the exhibit not only provide food for the pandas but also serve as ideal playgrounds.

"My first impression of the panda exhibit at San Diego Zoo is that it is lush and full of vitality," Ling said.

San Diego Zoo, the first U.S. institution to collaborate on giant panda research with China, has considered both the comfort of the pandas and the visitor experience in expanding its panda exhibit, with visitor viewing areas doubled compared to before. This change allows visitors to gain deeper insights into this precious species.

Currently, the two pandas are still in quarantine and will meet the public later this summer. The lively male panda Yun Chuan is curious about everything in his new home and eagerly inspects whenever keepers enter. The gentle female panda Xin Bao has mostly adapted to the new environment. Besides eating, her favorite activities include lying quietly in a corner or sunbathing on tree branches.

"Overall, both pandas are adapting well, with stable indicators such as weight that remain consistent with pre-departure data from China," Ling said. The zoo offers over a dozen types of bamboo for the pandas, and the two pandas have already selected six types they enjoy.