Most tourists know how famous it is San Diego Zoo Yes, but there is one specific question I get asked a lot.
Are there currently pandas at the San Diego Zoo? Yes! Following the return of our last batch of famous black and white bears to China in 2019, two new pandas, Yunchuan and Xinbao, arrived in 2024.
Three easy ways to see pandas
Two giant pandas arrived safely from China. Zoo visitors can now see Yunchuan, a male giant panda who is almost five years old, and Xinbao, a female giant panda who is about to turn four.
have three ways Go see giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo:
Limited time tickets
After arriving at the zoo, scan the ticket QR code on signs everywhere in the zoo to get a free timed panda ticket. Select a time from available times. Then, arrive at the timed ticket line at Panda Ridge at that time. It’s that simple. But please note that these Ginat Panda Times tickets are only available on the day and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
standby line
If you can’t get a timed panda ticket, don’t worry. There is no need to purchase a ticket to enter the Panda Ridge standby line. The line opens at 9:30 a.m. and will remain open until the zoo closes for the day or until the pandas leave the habitat for the day (whichever comes first).
Early morning walking tour
The zoo also offers 60-minute early morning walking tour with pandas, led by a professional guide. The tour guide will lead the group to see the giant pandas exclusively. However, the tour is not free and comes with zoo admission. Additional fees apply.
By phone (619) 718-3000 or Online via the Zoo website. As of this writing, tickets start at $92 each, but prices below are higher Selected date.
Tips and Why Me recommend this trip
Welcome Yunchuan and Xinbao
The new additions to the San Diego Zoo are the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years. This is a very important moment.
Before they set off, a farewell ceremony was held at the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan Province (which we also visited several times). San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance President and CEO Paul Baribault and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria attended.
Let’s learn more about the zoo’s adorable new pair of pandas.
Yunchuan
Yunchuan was named in honor of his grandmother Baiyun, who lived at the San Diego Zoo for more than two decades. He’s known for being gentle, gentle and lovable – everything we’d expect from these large, affectionate creatures.
special association go to the zoo
Yunchuan has a special, privileged connection with the San Diego Zoo. He is Zhen Zhen’s son, born in the zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Xin Bao was born in Wolong Shenshuping Giant Panda Base. (We have been to the original Wolong Hetaoping Panda Base, which was destroyed in the 2008 Chengdu earthquake.)
The zoo has long-term cooperation with Wolong on giant panda breeding and parenting. As a result, giant panda births have increased over the past decade, taking them from endangered to vulnerable status.
Xinbao
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance describes Simbao as a gentle, witty introvert with a sweet, round face and big ears. Her name aptly translates as “prosperity and abundance of new treasures.”
The giant panda’s happy return to the San Diego Zoo coincides with the 30th anniversary of the highly successful conservation partnership between the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. What a great way to celebrate!
Ongoing collaborations have developed breakthrough reproductive and neonatal protection technologies that significantly improve survival rates for cubs in care, including the development of giant panda milk formula. The survival rate used to be less than 10%, but now it has increased to more than 90%.
This makes the arrival of Yunchuan and Xinbao even more special.
The History of Giant Pandas at the San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo’s reputation as a haven for giant pandas goes back decades. The first giant pandas – Basi and Yuanyuan – did not arrive in San Diego until 1987.
This was supposed to be a short 100-day visit. However, the giant panda attracted as many as 2 million viewers. They ended up staying twice as long.
But that’s not the end of the San Diego Panda story. Baiyun (newcomer Yunchuan’s grandmother) and Shishi came here in 1996.
The original agreement involved, as Zoo website explainedIt took “a lot of red tape and a lot of application paperwork” to finally get a twelve-year loan from the Chinese government. The loan was extended twice, and Baiyun lived at the zoo for 23 years as a successful panda mother.
The San Diego Zoo developed a special Giant Panda Research Station habitat to house giant pandas. You can still see it in the Asian Passage section of the zoo.
See also: The unexpected origins of the San Diego Zoo
Red panda born at San Diego Zoo
In 1999, the first giant panda cub born at the San Diego Zoo was named “Hua Mei”. She was conceived through artificial insemination and is the first giant panda born in the United States to survive to adulthood.
She is so important and the reason why people like me visit the San Diego Zoo on a regular basis. Watching her grow from a wide-eyed baby to an adult rolling around in the playpen is a joy.
The first panda cub is always special.
However, the cooperation between Shi Shi and Bai Yun was not enthusiastic, partly because Shi Shi was older than experts initially predicted. So, he returned to China, and in 2003, Gao Gao replaced Shi Shi as Bai Yun’s partner.
This is a game. Baiyun gave birth to five more cubs: Meisheng, Sulin, Zhenzhen, Yunzi, and Xiaoliwu. (Remember, Zhen Zhen is our new arrival, Yunchuan’s mother).
Zoo staff and visitors alike welcome these red pandas into the world with great excitement.
Giant panda conservation plan a success
In 1996, when San Diego’s giant pandas first became permanent residents of the zoo, the species was already on the verge of extinction in the wild.
Researchers have long hoped to increase the number of giant pandas, but have continually encountered obstacles in raising pandas in captivity.
The San Diego Zoo works closely with Chinese experts through its Giant Panda Conservation Program to address these issues. This initiative leverages the zoo’s access to giant pandas to shed light on critical fertility and reproduction issues through in-depth research.
Under the guidance of the Giant Panda Conservation Project, the survival rate of giant panda cubs has increased rapidly. In-depth research highlights the need for twin exchanges between cubs, as well as the need for higher-quality formula for panda newborns. These efforts make it possible to breed more newborns and maintain the survival of young giant pandas.
San Diego Zoo researchers quickly shared this information with partners in China and other U.S. zoos and facilities around the world.
The program’s long-term success can be attributed to this international attention. You can read more about it on the zoo’s website science blog.
Why did the giant pandas leave San Diego?
In fact, people never thought that pandas would stay here forever. In 2019, Baiyun and Xiao Liwu marked the end of the loan program, which had been extended multiple times.
this Panda departure Director Dwight Scott called it a “fitting celebration” that included “a huge thank you to the people of China for their continued cooperation and our collective conservation achievements in helping save this amazing species.”
former san diego zoo panda keeper “When we started this program, we knew they were not our bears and they were not going to stay…China believes in letting their animals retire in their own country,” Dallas-Dumont explained.
Who else lives in the Asian aisle at the San Diego Zoo?
In addition to seeing new pandas at Panda Ridge, you can see other cool animals through the zoo’s Asian Passage.
Animals on Asia’s waterways
Don’t forget the red panda! As you walk through Asia Passage, you can see the following characters:
We love the soft serve ice cream in gorgeous cones! It’s adjacent to the Huamei Café – both named after the first panda cub born at the zoo.
Save money on tickets
The San Diego Zoo has always been one of Southern California’s most iconic attractions, even before the giant pandas made their happy return.
San Diego Zoo Safari ParkOur sister park, located 45 minutes north of the Escondido Zoo, also offers numerous opportunities to connect with nature.
Stop at either destination (or both!) and experience the pure joy of being surrounded by wildlife. There’s no better way to spend a day in Santiago.
No need to pay full price when you can take advantage of my discounts. Tickets are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Get ready to meet the pandas!
Day Pass — claim my exclusive offers promo code Lowest public price!
No need to queue up to buy tickets, go directly to the boarding gate with your mobile phone or printed ticket. Valid for one year from date of purchase.
Final price (after discounts): $67/Ages 12+, $57/Ages 3-11
We cannot post promotional codes online, but they can be sent via text message or email.
*By texting SDZOO to 1-833-490-0799, you agree to receive automated promotional messages on how to obtain greater ticket discounts and this agreement is not a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply. 2 MSG/month. Reply STOP to cancel. Read my full article privacy policy.
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