Panda pair makes debut with rousing welcome

"Yun" means "cloud" in Chinese, a name that comes from his maternal grandmother, Bai Yun, the former superstar at San Diego Zoo, who gave birth to six cubs during her 23 years there.

"It's reigniting this partnership with our partner, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, and that's tradition and collaboration," Wendt said. "It's really an electric time here at the San Diego Zoo!"

He said the China and US teams have been working closely, not only sharing physiological information, breeding attributes and bamboo preferences, but also information on panda genetic information, mating and breeding.

"That's so much more we can do, so we can't wait to help further our partnership and the support for these amazing animals," he said.

Experts from China will be with the two pandas for a full transition and ensure their growth and health along with the local team.

"China and the US have carried out extensive work on panda scientific research and conservation cooperation. It's been 30 years since the collaboration began in 1994," Li Desheng, deputy director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, told China Daily.

"Over the years, we have made significant progress in panda husbandry, disease prevention and control, and various field research aspects," Li, who first visited the San Diego Zoo in 1999, said.

"Especially in our efforts in managing pandas' health, our collaboration has improved the health conditions of pandas and continuously extended their average life span. This cooperation has also enhanced the understanding of pandas among the public in both countries.

"I believe that with a new round of panda cooperation, we can explore more areas of joint work. Regarding the construction of panda national parks, I think both China and the US have many common ideas — how to protect pandas and other wildlife, and how to develop national parks effectively — these are areas where we look forward to more cooperation in the future."

Megan Owen, vice-president of Wildlife Conservation Science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, told China Daily that there is a long history of collaboration toward panda conservation and this is the beginning of a new chapter.

"Everyone is ready to see the pandas. Giant pandas are such a great ambassador for conservation," she said.

Owen said her team has been working on conservation applications.

"We have a big focus on conservation technologies, and innovating new technologies that help us study giant pandas in their native habitat is a big part of what we hope to do," she said. "And then we have a big focus on wildlife health, and making sure we understand what it takes to keep giant pandas healthy."

The first panda cub born at San Diego Zoo, Hua Mei, was conceived through artificial insemination. She was also the first panda cub born in the US to survive to adulthood and has gone on to produce 11 cubs of her own in China.