China to send two pandas to the U.S. under new cooperation deal

(ECNS) -- China and the United States have agreed to launch a new round of giant panda conservation cooperation, with two pandas set to be sent to Zoo Atlanta under a 10-year program, according to media reports.

Under an agreement signed last year between the China Wildlife Conservation Association and Zoo Atlanta, a male panda named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding will travel to the United States to participate in joint research and conservation efforts.

Preparations are currently underway to ensure the pandas' well-being, including upgrades to enclosures and related facilities in Atlanta. Chinese experts have also provided technical guidance on habitat design, feeding, and health care.

The new program follows earlier cooperation between the two sides. In 1999, pandas Yang Yang and Lun Lun were sent to Zoo Atlanta, where they produced seven surviving offspring from five births, making it one of the most successful panda breeding programs between China and Western institutions.

The latest round of cooperation will focus on disease prevention, scientific research, and efforts to support the conservation of giant pandas in the wild.

(By Zhang Jiahao)