San Diego Zoo Partners with China to Bring Back Giant Pandas

Thursday, February 22, 2024

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) has taken a pivotal step towards welcoming giant pandas back to the San Diego Zoo by initiating a partnership with the China Wildlife Conservation Association and applying for the necessary permit with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For nearly three decades, SDZWA has worked closely with research teams in China on a conservation mission to safeguard and promote the recovery of giant pandas. This joint venture has yielded substantial achievements, such as enhanced scientific insights into giant panda biology, care, and conservation, as well as understanding their needs in the face of climate change. These efforts were instrumental in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List reclassifying the giant panda from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2021. Despite these advances, the journey towards ensuring their long-term survival continues.

“We are humbled by the potential opportunity of continuing our collaborative conservation efforts to secure the future for giant pandas. As such, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is taking important steps to ensure we are prepared for a potential return. This includes sharing our detailed conservation plans with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure alignment for the greater benefit of giant pandas,” said Dr. Megan Owen, Vice President of Conservation Science.

The partnership between SDZWA and its Chinese counterparts has led to significant scientific breakthroughs and contributions that have been crucial in China’s successful conservation of the giant panda, helping to pull this iconic species away from extinction. Noteworthy achievements include pivotal research on giant panda reproduction, nutrition, habitat requirements, and genetics. Initiatives such as creating a specialized milk formula for giant panda cubs and other newborn conservation methods have remarkably boosted cub survival rates in captivity from 5% to 95%. Additionally, the alliance has achieved the first successful artificial insemination of a giant panda outside China and has provided vital support for Chinese-led projects to monitor wild giant pandas using GPS technology in the Foping National Nature Reserve.

While the giant panda’s conservation status has seen positive changes, ongoing efforts are essential to ensure their continued progress towards a secure and thriving future.

Challenges such as climate change, habitat fragmentation, and the isolation of populations pose significant threats to giant pandas. SDZWA’s forward-thinking conservation plan focuses on enhancing the health and resilience of some of the most vulnerable giant panda populations, aiming to protect them from extinction and preserve their genetic diversity.

“Pandas in our care and in the care of Chinese colleagues at conservation facilities play an important role as assurance against extinction and loss of genetic diversity in their native habitats, as well as a source population for reintroductions,” said Dr. Owen. “Our partnership over the decades has served as a powerful example of how—when we work together—we can achieve what was once thought to be impossible. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is uniquely positioned to collaborate toward a shared goal of creating a sustainable future for giant pandas.”

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