By Karen Kucher, The San Diego Union-Tribune
Stay tuned. The San Diego Zoo’s Panda Cam might be coming back for a new season.
Giant pandas — the hugely popular beloved symbols of China which haven’t been here since 2019 — could be headed back to San Diego. That bit of news came in a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night after he met with President Joe Biden in San Francisco, and the leaders pledged to reduce tensions.
Xi signaled that pandas — which he called “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples” — could be sent to a zoo in California. He did not share any details on when such a transfer might occur.
“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” Xi said during a dinner speech with business leaders. He said he learned the San Diego Zoo and people in California “very much look forward to welcoming pandas back.”
The announcement by China’s leader was a welcomed surprise to zoo officials.
