Must-watch returns with the antics of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao

Giant panda fans now have a way to watch Yun Chuan and Xin Bao’s antics at the San Diego Zoo from anywhere in the world, thanks to Tuesday’s launch of the Panda Cam.

Before accessing the web page, visitors are asked to provide an email address, which allows the user to subscribe to a zoo newsletter.

Live footage began around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Morning footage included views of the pandas eating a bamboo breakfast and lounging on a wooden platform. And lots of naps.

The site says live viewing will begin “during San Diego daylight hours, once Yun Chuan and Xin Bao wake up and begin exploring their outdoor habitat.” Once night falls, the zoo will rebroadcast the day’s feed.

The San Diego Zoo has launched its giant panda camera, allowing spectators to follow the daily lives of pandas. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)

“Today, the San Diego Zoo is excited to launch its live camera on the giant panda, allowing people around the world to virtually connect with Xin Bao and Yun Chuan. Viewers can enter their world and marvel as the pandas tumble, climb, explore, nap and snack on bamboo in their dynamic habitats,” the zoo said in a press release.

Paul Baribault, president and CEO of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, was in New York to unveil the Panda Cam on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Baribault flipped a huge white switch and launched the site, which was broadcast on a giant screen in Times Square. “The public welcomes them back. It’s just an exciting time for us,” he said.

Zoo officials said the two pandas had “acclimatized beautifully to their sprawling bamboo-filled homes” and that the pandas’ cameras would show their “playful antics and natural behaviors.”

Xin Bao and Yun Chuan arrived on June 28, becoming the first two giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years. The duo was exposed to the public in early August.

Xin Bao is a 4-year-old female born at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base in Sichuan, China. Wildlife specialists describe it as very active, alert and an excellent climber with a large round face and large ears.

Yun Chuan is a 5-year-old male described as having a long and slightly pointed nose. He is the grandson of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, two giant pandas who lived at the San Diego Zoo for decades. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the zoo in 2007.

The zoo is hosting the black and white duo thanks to a loan from China for the next decade, at a cost of $1 million a year. The zoo plans to undertake conservation research and hopes to breed the two bears.

Pandas first arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1987 on an exhibit loan. They returned in 1996 as part of a conservation agreement to improve panda reproduction. The zoo’s program has produced six cubs. Its scientists also helped develop techniques to keep young pandas alive, including the development of panda formula.

San Diego said goodbye to its pandas in 2019, but the program is returning this year.

China owns and leases all the giant pandas in U.S. zoos and has loaned the animals for decades as part of “panda diplomacy” to strengthen national ties and advance panda conservation efforts.

The February deal between the zoo and Chinese authorities had raised questions about how the live panda camera would work. The agreement included provisions limiting the use of 24-hour surveillance footage.

“Video footage, images and other materials generated by the 24-hour surveillance cameras installed by the U.S. side inside and outside the installation will be limited to internal monitoring and management, as well as for advertising and educational use,” the agreement states. “No live, real-time external broadcasting or similar activities shall be carried out; however, video footage or images that are first reviewed, edited if necessary, and approved by (the zoo) may be used for advertising and educational purposes.

Zoo officials did not respond to questions about the agreement and how it applied to the Panda Cam.

The unveiling of the zoo’s panda camera came on the same day that two giant pandas arrived at the National Zoo as part of a panda loan deal with Chinese wildlife authorities. Bao Li and Qing Bao are at the Washington, DC Zoo on a 10-year loan. Officials said the duo will make their public debut on January 24.

Unlike the pandas’ arrival in San Diego, which was shrouded in secrecy, the National Zoo’s pandas arrived at Dulles International Airport aboard a specially outfitted FedEx cargo plane with illustrations showing a panda eating bamboo adorning the front of the plane.

According to the Washington Post, the pandas traveled 19 hours from Chengdu, China, with a stopover in Anchorage. Three pandas left the National Zoo on November 8 for China, including Mei Xiang, a 26-year-old female; Tian Tian, a 27-year-old man; and their offspring, Xiao Qi Ji, 4 years old.

Originally published: October 16, 2024 at 6:53 a.m.

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