As excitement builds for the giant pandas' return to San Diego, let's take a look back at the Zoo's long history with the black-and-white bears.
September 10, 1996: Bai Yun and Shi Shi arrive at the San Diego Zoo from the Wolong Panda Preserve in China.
August 21, 1999: Hua Mei was born in San Diego, the first panda cub to survive in captivity in the United States. She was the product of artificial insemination between Bai Yun and Shi Shi.
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January 2003: Gao Gao arrived in San Diego as a new mate for Bai Yun. Born in the wild, he would go on to father five cubs at the San Diego Zoo.
August 19, 2003: Mei Sheng was the first cub born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao and the second cub to be born at the San Diego Zoo. He was moved to China at age 4.
February 2004: Hua Mei returns to China where she would live at the Wolong Giant Panda Conservation Center.
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Panda Portraits: A Look Back at San Diego's Beloved Bears
August 2, 2005: Su Lin was born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao as their second cub, and the third to be successfully raised in San Diego.
August 3, 2007: Zhen Zhen was the fourth panda to be born to the San Diego Zoo. She was later named by panda fans through an online poll.
July 2008: Shi Shi dies at the Guangzhou Zoo.
August 5, 2009: Yun Zi was born at the San Diego Zoo to Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Even though it was the fifth successful birth for the panda program, one veterinarian described it as "just as exciting as our first."
August 2010: Siblings Su Lin and Zhen Zhen were returned to China.
March 16, 2011: Panda Bai Yun pushed open a safety barrier between the keeper area and the animal's habitat. When a keeper tried to herd Bai Yun back into her living quarters, the panda grabbed onto one of the worker's legs with her jaws. The keeper was treated at a hospital.
July 29, 2012: Xiao Liwu was born to Bai Yun, her last cub. His name means "Little Gift."
January 9, 2014: Yun Zi leaves the San Diego Zoo, flies out of LAX, and is returned to China.
Images: San Diego Zoo's Panda Cub Xiao Liwu
June 2016: The zoo announced its eldest panda was suffering from heart disease.
October 30, 2018: Gao Gao leaves San Diego for China.
March 25, 2019: The San Diego Zoo announces the remaining two giant pandas will leave the U.S. at the end of April.
April 2019: The giant pandas leave the U.S. and return to China.
February 2024: The China Wildlife Conservation Association signed a cooperation agreement with the San Diego Zoo to bring the beloved mammal back to San Diego. The Chinese organization described the deals as a new round of collaboration on panda conservation.
April 29, 2024: Five years after the last Giant Pandas left San Diego, we were introduced to the two giant pandas coming to San Diego later this year: Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. It marked the first time in 21 years that pandas entered the U.S.
Yun Chuan, a nearly 5-year-old male, is described as mild-mannered, gentle and lovable. He is the son of Zhen Zhen, who was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao. The first character of his name, "Yun," is a nod to his grandmother Bai Yun, who lived at the San Diego Zoo for 23 years, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Xin Bao, a nearly 4-year-old female, is described as a "gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears," a zoo statement reads. Her name means a "new treasure of prosperity and abundance."
June 27, 2024: After traveling about 7,000 miles from China, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao finally arrived at their new home at the San Diego Zoo. The bears would spend weeks in quarantine as they adjusted to their new habitat.
July 9, 2024: The San Diego Zoo released the first photos of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao in their new habitat. Take a look here.
Aug. 8, 2024: Yun Chuan and Xin Bao officially make their debut at the San Diego Zoo. Here's how to see them.
