Mayor Todd Gloria is traveling to China to take part in official ceremonies bidding farewell to the two giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, who will be coming to the San Diego Zoo under a research and conservation agreement.  

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has a nearly 30-year conservation partnership with leading wildlife and forestry institutions in China focused on protecting and recovering giant pandas and the bamboo forests they depend on. Mayor Gloria has been heavily involved as details of the partnership were worked out, including meeting several times with Chinese conservation officials and government leaders and being an official signatory to the agreement.

The conservation collaboration between San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and China Wildlife Conservation Association aims to improve giant panda population health and resilience in some of the smallest and most isolated populations vulnerable to extinction and loss of genetic diversity.

The Mayor departed from Los Angeles International Airport early Tuesday morning and will arrive at the Ya’an Panda Base in the Sichuan Province on Wednesday afternoon local time. While in China, the Mayor will also attend meetings in Beijing with senior officials at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration to further enhance conservation opportunities and participation of the two peoples.

Mayor Gloria will arrive back in San Diego in the early morning on Sunday, June 30.