Two giant pandas started their journey to the United States on Wednesday from Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, as part of a new round of China-U.S. panda conservation projects.
A file photo of giant panda Yun Chuan /CMG
The pair, a male named Yun Chuan and a female called Xin Bao, departed from the Ya'an Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda and boarded a chartered flight from the airport in the provincial capital of Chengdu to San Diego, California.
Five experienced keepers and veterinary experts from both China and the U.S. accompanied the pandas on the flight.
A file photo of giant panda Xin Bao /CMG
After Yun Chuan and Xin Bao settle in at the San Diego Zoo, Chinese experts will stay on for about three months to assist them through the quarantine period and to help them adapt quickly to their new environment.
The world-renowned San Diego Zoo is the first institution in the United States to team up with its Chinese counterpart on giant panda research.
For over more than two decades, the zoo has worked with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in a number of key fields including captive panda breeding, habitat conservation, and supplemental nutrition.