Get a 1st look at 2 new giant pandas coming to Zoo Atlanta
Two giant pandas are coming to Zoo Atlanta!
Ping Ping, a 6-year-old male giant panda, and Fu Shuang, a female giant panda who will turn 6 in October, will be loaned to the zoo as part of a new International Cooperative Research Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the zoo announced Thursday.
Both giant pandas were born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China, according to the zoo, and will travel to Atlanta in the near future, although an exact date has not yet been shared.
"Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species and to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the continued conservation and research efforts that are the most important outcomes of this cooperation," Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement.
"We can't wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas," King added.
According to Zoo Atlanta, giant pandas are considered a "vulnerable" species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global organization dedicated to environmental conservation and sustainable development.
Zoo Atlanta's giant panda program has a long history, dating back 27 years since 1999, when Lun Lun and Yang Yang, arrived at Atlanta's first zoo from China. Lun Lun and Yang Yang had seven cubs over the years, from 2006 and 2016, according to the zoo.
The panda family returned to China and now all live at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
