By Milton Kirby – Atlanta, GA – October 9, 2024
Zoo Atlanta’s beloved giant pandas will soon return to China, marking the end of a 25-year program. In mid-October 2024, giant pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun will depart for China as the zoo’s agreement with China comes to an end.
The giant panda program at Zoo Atlanta began in 1999 with the arrival of Lun Lun and Yang Yang, who became symbols of international collaboration for the conservation of this endangered species. Their first offspring, Mei Lan, was born on September 6, 2006. In 2013, twin females Mei Lun and Mei Huan followed, captivating the hearts of visitors.
Ahead of their departure, these iconic animals will remain on display at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center at the zoo. Their exit signals the conclusion of a significant chapter for Zoo Atlanta, which has contributed over $10 million toward giant panda conservation in China over the years, supporting projects in eight nature reserves.
Giant pandas are native to the cool, high-elevation forests of southwestern China. Pandas can be found in native China at elevations as high as 13,000 feet. They are solitary animals, males and females come together only briefly to mate.
Giant pandas are shy and don’t venture into areas where people live, restricting them to very limited areas. Their popularity around the world has helped the giant panda become the focus of successful conservation programs, such as that at Zoo Atlanta, for the last 25 years.
Giant pandas primarily feed on bamboo, a low-nutrient plant, which explains their slow metabolism and frequent need for sleep. Though they are members of the bear family and have a digestive system similar to carnivorous bears, their diet is predominantly vegetarian. They rely on specialized jaw muscles and a unique wrist bone that functions as a thumb to process bamboo.
The population of giant pandas in the wild is critically low, with only around 1,500 remaining due to habitat loss, human activity, and reproduction difficulties. Pandas once roamed more widely across China and parts of Myanmar and Vietnam. Still, today, they are confined to six mountainous areas in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shanxi provinces. Efforts to conserve their habitat are crucial as infrastructure development and human activities continue to fragment their living spaces.
Giant pandas communicate with one another in dense bamboo forests primarily by scent. Males regularly scent-mark the margins of their territories by adopting a “headstand” position to mark a bamboo stalk with their anogenital glands. Research at Zoo Atlanta has demonstrated that although seemingly subtle, vocalizations are crucially important communicative tools, especially during the reproductive season. Research done at Zoo Atlanta has also shown that giant pandas have color vision.
While other herbivorous animals, such as antelope, zebras, or rabbits, have very long digestive tracts, the giant panda retains an essentially bear-like digestive tract. Thus, the digestive efficiency of the bamboo they consume is quite low. Examination of the feces demonstrates that their food has been only partially digested. The low nutrient value of their food and their low digestive efficiency result in an animal that is constrained to a low metabolism. This lifestyle explains why giant pandas sleep so often and why they eat such enormous amounts of bamboo.
Adult females average about 230 pounds, with males sometimes reaching 350 pounds. Their hair is very dense, conserving their body heat in their cold habitats. Their iconic coloration remains a mystery to scientists but may aid with camouflage.
The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves. Still, only around 67% of the wild panda population lives in reserves. Zoos and panda reserves are also working to keep pandas from becoming extinct.
Zoo Atlanta’s partnership with China was crucial in giant panda conservation efforts. Under the agreement, the zoo paid an annual loan fee to host the pandas, and these funds were directed to conservation initiatives in China. The panda program at Zoo Atlanta stands as one of the zoo’s most significant contributions to wildlife conservation.
The departure of Zoo Atlanta’s pandas mirrors the trend seen at other U.S. zoos. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee have hosted pandas through similar agreements with China. However, as of 2024, Memphis Zoo no longer houses pandas following Le Le’s death and Ya Ya’s return to China.
In contrast to Zoo Atlanta, The Smithsonian National Zoo and the Memphis Zoo, the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, CA welcomed the first giant pandas into the United States in 21 years earlier this year. The pandas reside in the zoo’s Panda Ridge a new habitat.
While the giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta will soon return to their native country, their legacy in the U.S. will live on, thanks to decades of public engagement and successful conservation efforts to save these magnificent creatures from extinction.
