The San Diego Zoo's two new pandas have arrived from China

The pandas are back.

The San Diego Zoo said Friday that two pandas safely arrived in the city after a journey from China.

Officials in China bid farewell Wednesday to the two Giant Pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, before the pair travelled to San Diego. They are the first pandas from China to arrive in the U.S. in 21 years, according to the San Diego Zoo.

One of the pandas, the nearly 5-year-old male Yun Chuan, is the son of a panda born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007.

The zoo first announced it would be getting more pandas from China in February, and officials said Wednesday the pair "will travel to the San Diego Zoo soon after the farewell ceremony."

It will take some time for the pandas to settle in at the San Diego Zoo before visitors can see them in their zoo habitat, officials said. A wildlife care team that's closely monitoring Yun Chuan and Xin Bao will determine when they're ready to be introduced to the public, the zoo said Friday.

"After the pandas have safely arrived in San Diego, they will not be viewable to the public for several weeks while they acclimate to their new home," the zoo said in a news release.

The zoo said it will share a date for when the pandas can be viewed as soon as its available.

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Get to know Xin Bao and Yun Chuan

Nearly 4-year-old female Xin Bao's name means “new treasure of prosperity and abundance,” according to the San Diego Zoo.

“Giant pandas often symbolize wildlife conservation, peace, and friendship, but her name also reminds us that in Chinese culture, pandas also symbolize blessings and success,” the zoo said earlier this year. “Her name will no doubt remind us that it’s an honor to play a part in her success and to help giant pandas thrive, both here and in China."

The zoo said she is very active, alert, witty and a superb climber. She’s playful and will sometimes roughhouse with other pandas. 

According to the zoo, guests may be able to spot Xin Bao pretty easily due to her large, round face and big ears that give her a unique look.

Yun Chuan whose name means "cloud" and "big river," alluding to the place in China he's from − Sichuan, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Altogether, his name means “big river of cloud,” a reminder of the “flowing clouds that often shroud the forests where giant pandas live in the mountains of southwestern China,” the zoo said.

Yun Chuan has familial ties to the San Diego Zoo. His maternal grandmother, Bai Yun, as well as his grandfather, Gao Gao, both stayed at the San Diego Zoo in the early 2000s. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the zoo in 2007. 

“Yun Chuan’s lineage has deep connections to the San Diego Zoo and we’re excited by the prospect of caring for them," Megan Owen, vice president of conservation science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said earlier this year.

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How many pandas are coming to US zoos?

Friday's announcement from the San Diego Zoo comes as zoo patrons across the country are celebrating the impending arrival of more of the black and white bears.

In May, the Smithsonian National Zoo said it will get one male and one female panda from China sometime before the end of 2024. The 2-year-old male, Bao Li, is the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, the two pandas who left the National Zoo to return to China in November. The female, Qing Bao, is also 2-years-old.

San Francisco zoogoers also celebrated in April, when the city's zoo said it will get two more pandas from China sometime in 2025.