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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — It's officially "Panda Day" successful California, with the San Diego Zoo conscionable hours distant from revealing 2 elephantine pandas successful a historical infinitesimal of diplomacy betwixt the U.S. and China.
The zoo's opening ceremonial volition beryllium livestreamed wrong this communicative opening astatine astir 12 p.m. ET.
Yun Chuan (pronounced yoon chu-an) and Xin Bao (pronounced sing bao) arrived from the East Asian federation successful June, marking the archetypal clip a Chinese panda has been sent to the U.S. successful implicit a decade.
Since then, the panda brace person been acclimating to their caller location successful a backstage habitat, known arsenic Panda Ridge. Officials with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance gave a first look of the pandas successful their caller abstraction successful aboriginal July, showing them enjoying the peculiar habitat.
Xin Bao plays successful his backstage enclosure astatine the San Diego Zoo. (Courtesy of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance)This newly expanded enclosure is astir 6,000 feet successful size, with a impermanent viewing capableness that volition headdress astatine astir 173 guests. That's much than doubles the capableness of the erstwhile habitat, according to the Wildlife Alliance.
In mentation for their large debut, the zoo’s attraction teams person been moving intimately with Chinese experts to supply the elephantine pandas with nutrient matching their dietary needs, checking up connected their mobility and monitoring wide health.
With a cleanable measure of health, the time has yet travel for the pandas to beryllium revealed to the public. An opening ceremonial is slated to statesman astatine 9 a.m. Thursday.
Following the opening ceremony, zoo guests volition officially beryllium fixed entree to the Panda Ridge viewing area. Visitors volition request to get a complimentary “Giant Panda Timed Ticket” astatine the clip of parkland introduction oregon articulation the standby line. Additionally, guests tin marque reservations for an exclusive 60-minute “Early Morning with Pandas Walking Tour.”
The San Diego Zoo is unfastened regular from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
FOX 5's Danielle Dawson contributed to this report.
