How long will the pandas be at the Atlanta zoo?

Every giant panda in the US is on loan from the Chinese government. At every zoo in the country - except Atlanta's - that loan will expire in December. The two babies, Ya Lun and Xi Lun, and the two adults, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, at Zoo Atlanta are expected to remain but head back sometime in 2024.



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It's kind of sad because, you know, I want to be able to come to the zoo and be able to see the pandas, shared one visitor. A statement from Zoo Atlanta emphasized that the loan agreement for Lun Lun and Yang Yang is set to expire in 2024, after which they will return to China.

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As few as 1,864 giant pandas live in their native habitat, while another 600 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world.

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Xiao Qi Ji and his parents—Mei Xiang and Tian Tian—will all be sent to China in early December, when the Smithsonian's current agreement with the Chinese government to house pandas at the zoo expires. China has long leveraged its monopoly on the world's panda population as an instrument of its foreign policy.

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Zoo Atlanta has so far been very successful in this resource-intensive process. The giant pandas may be seen year-round at virtually any time of day. Because they are native to high-elevation cool mountain forests, in the warmer months they will generally be in their climate-controlled dayroom habitats.

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Although pandas are rarely housed outside of China, you can still see them in person within the United States. These mystical bears currently live at only three select zoos, making each sighting a truly special experience.

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The zoo claims that this is because of a three-year contract it has with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

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The Chinese government, which gifted the first pair of pandas - Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling - to the U.S., now leases the pandas out for a typical 10-year renewable term. The annual fee ranges from $1 million to $2 million per pair, plus mandatory costs to build and maintain facilities to house the animals.

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As a gesture of goodwill following President Nixon's seminal state visit, Premier Enlai gifted two giant pandas to the American people. Nestled in the Nation's Capital and with free admission, the President and Mrs. Nixon selected the Smithsonian's National Zoo as the home for the giant panda bears.

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There used to be more pandas at zoos around the world, including St. Louis, but China's population boom and several famines after World War II that led to hunting them for food led to far lower numbers. In the early 1960's China set up a nature reserve to protect the Giant Panda.

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The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. The departure of the National Zoo's bears would mean that the only giant pandas left in America are at the Atlanta Zoo — and that loan agreement expires late next year.

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The departure of the National Zoo's bears would mean that the only giant pandas left in America are at the Atlanta Zoo — and that loan agreement expires late next year. Wilder said the Chinese possibly could be trying to send a signal.

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San Diego Zoo Global (now known as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) chief operating officer Shawn Dixon explains, “Working with our colleagues in China, San Diego Zoo Global is ready to make a commitment for the next stage of our panda program.” Don't expect new pandas to come to the San Diego Zoo anytime soon.

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However, by the end of 2024, Atlanta's pandas will also return to their homeland. Other U.S. zoos that had giant pandas, including San Diego and Memphis, sent them back in 2019 and earlier this year, respectively.

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