China’s Beloved Giant Pandas will soon make San Francisco their home. Mayor London Breed announced that San Francisco had been chosen to receive a pair as part of China’s Panda Diplomacy program.
The San Francisco Zoo will host the beloved giant pandas for the first time since 1985. “San Francisco is absolutely thrilled that we will be welcoming Giant Pandas to our San Francisco Zoo,” said Mayor London Breed in a press release. “We have been working closely with our local API community to advocate for pandas nearly a year ago leading up to APEC in November, and it’s an honor that our City has been chosen for the first time to be a long-term home for giant pandas.”
The timeline for SF to receive the adorable giants is still unclear. It will depend on the San Francisco Zoo’s timeline for creating an enclosure for their newest additions.
The last time San Francisco hosted giant pandas was on a temporary basis in 1984 and 1985 during a world tour. There are currently only four giant pandas in the United States, all of them at the Atlanta Zoo. San Diego recently announced in February that it had signed a cooperation agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to also receive a pair of pandas.
The pandas are part of what’s often called Panda Diplomacy, where China will send the beloved giant pandas internationally as a sign of friendship and diplomacy. Giant pandas are very rare, with only 1,850 remaining today. They were recently an endangered species but, due to their increasing population, are not considered a “vulnerable” species.
It’s an exciting addition to the San Francisco Zoo, especially if you love the cuddly giant bears and want to see one in person. The San Francisco Zoo is open every day from 10 am until 5 pm; you can find ticket information here.