After housing giant pandas for a quarter-century, Zoo Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia announced on Friday that its four iconic black and white bears will return to China in mid-October, marking the expiration of the zoo's giant panda agreement with China at the end of the month.
\"While Zoo Atlanta will certainly miss Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun, and their departure is bittersweet, they have created a momentous legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, leaving their mark not only in the hearts of their friends and fans, but on the scientific and zoological communities' understanding of the behavior, biology, and care of this rare and treasured species,\" said Raymond B. King, president and CEO of the zoo, in a press release.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Zoo Atlanta giant panda program.
\"Dating to the mid-1990s, even prior to the arrival of Lun Lun and Yang Yang in 1999, Zoo Atlanta's partnership with colleagues in China has a longtime history of collaboration and information sharing that has benefited the care, study, and conservation of giant pandas,\" the zoo noted in the press release.
Zoo Atlanta said its panda cooperative conservation program has been notably successful in terms of future contributions to the population of the species.
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Four giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta to return to China in mid-October
cgtn.com
