Today (April 6, 2019), San Diego Zoo Global officials, Consul General Zhang Ping of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles and invited guests gathered to commemorate the successful end of San Diego Zoo Global’s current giant panda research program, and the beginning of a new era of panda conservation at the San Diego Zoo.

The San Diego Zoo prepares to say farewell to two much-loved giant pandas—however, its conservation efforts on behalf of this iconic species will continue. In honoring the terms of the Zoo’s conservation loan agreement with the People’s Republic of China, 27-year-old female giant panda Bai Yun (pronounced bye yoon) and her son, 6-year-old Xiao Liwu (pronounced sshyaoww lee woo), will leave the San Diego Zoo in April and will be repatriated to their ancestral homeland.

Best-selling author Chelsea Clinton will present her new children’s book, Don’t Let Them Disappear: Twelve Endangered Species Across the Globe, at a special event and book signing May 23, 2019 at the San Diego Zoo.

San Diegans Ernest and Evelyn Rady have made a record-setting commitment in support of the San Diego Zoo’s Animal Ambassador program. The Radys have pledged $20 million, of which $15 million will be a challenge grant that must be earned with matching donations from other Zoo supporters.

A huge celebration took place at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital earlier today (March 7, 2019), complete with San Diego Zoo Safari Park animals—including a tamandua, a sloth, and a kinkajou—and a 15-foot-long lion puppet, and flamingo and giraffe puppets from the San Diego Zoo!