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San Diego Zoo

zoo San Diego, United States

Operated by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the 100-acre San Diego Zoo is located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It hosts over 3.2 million annual visitors, with iconic exhibits including Panda Canyon, African Rocks, and the Konrad Lorenz Rainforest of the World, home to 12,000+ animals representing 650+ species, including vulnerable koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), critically endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californianus), and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Its giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation program, run in partnership with the China Wildlife Conservation Association and Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, produced 6 surviving cubs between 1996 and 2019, including Hua Mei, the first giant panda cub born in the United States to survive to adulthood. The zoo

San Diego Zoo houses giant pandas under international loan agreement with the China Conservation and Research Center, as part of the cooperative panda diplomacy and ex-situ conservation network.

How this page is organized

Start with the pandas, then move outward into the surrounding archive

This page gathers the residents linked to San Diego Zoo, the key moments recorded here, nearby institutions, and the articles that add context.

Resident archive

Pandas connected to this place

2 pandas recorded

Currently at San Diego Zoo

The pandas currently recorded at this institution.

2 active

Xin Bao

鑫宝

Alive
5 years old
San Diego Zoo

Xin Bao (鑫宝), is a female giant panda born on July 23, 2020, at the Wolong Shenshuping Base. She was selected alongside ...

captive-bred wolong-shenshuping san-diego-zoo +2
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Yun Chuan

云川

Alive
6 years old
San Diego Zoo

Yun Chuan (云川), studbook #1193, is a male giant panda born on July 28, 2019, at the Wolong Shenshuping Base. His mother ...

captive-bred wolong-shenshuping san-diego-zoo +3
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Recorded moments

Archive timeline at San Diego Zoo

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2024
Aug 8

Xin Bao Debuts at San Diego Zoo

Xin Bao debuted at Panda Ridge in San Diego Zoo.

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2024
Aug 8

Yun Chuan Debuts at San Diego Zoo

Yun Chuan debuted at Panda Ridge in San Diego Zoo.

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2024
Jun 27

Xin Bao transferred to san_diego_zoo

Xin Bao arrived at San Diego Zoo alongside Yun Chuan for a 10-year conservation partnership.

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2024
Jun 27

Yun Chuan transferred to san_diego_zoo

Yun Chuan arrived at San Diego Zoo alongside Xin Bao for a 10-year conservation partnership.

Read update
2024
Jun 26

Xin Bao Departs for San Diego

Xin Bao departed for San Diego Zoo with Yun Chuan.

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2024
Jun 26

Yun Chuan Departs for San Diego

Yun Chuan departed for San Diego Zoo with Xin Bao.

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2012
Nov 13

Xiao Liwu Named at San Diego Zoo

Xiao Liwu received his name at a naming ceremony, chosen from 7,000 suggestions.

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2012
Jul 29

Birth of Xiao Liwu

Xiao Liwu was born at san_diego_zoo.

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2007
Aug 3

Birth of Zhen Zhen

Zhen Zhen was born at San Diego Zoo, named by US public vote.

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2005
Aug 2

Birth of Su Lin

Su Lin was born at san_diego_zoo.

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In the library

Further reading on San Diego Zoo

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Cover image for "San Diego's Frozen Zoo: Preserving Panda Genes for the Future"
Nature 🔬 advanced

San Diego's Frozen Zoo: Preserving Panda Genes for the Future

Deep in the laboratories of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, vials of panda genetic material — sperm, eggs, tissue samples, cell lines — are preserved in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. This 'Frozen Zoo' is the world's largest wildlife biobank, and its panda collection represents a genetic insurance policy for the species. This article explores the science, the ethics, and the future potential of panda genetic preservation.

1 panda
frozen-zoo genetics biobanking +3
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Cover image for "The Ultimate Panda Documentary Guide: 50+ Films Every Panda Lover Needs to Watch"
Featured
Culture 📚 general

The Ultimate Panda Documentary Guide: 50+ Films Every Panda Lover Needs to Watch

A curated global guide to over 50 panda documentaries spanning seven decades, seven thematic categories, and ten countries — from Pan Wenshi's raw Qinling field recordings in the 1990s to the 2024 Korean theatrical release Goodbye, Grandpa. Every film is verified, reviewed, and linked to the real pandas, keepers, and breeding centers behind the footage.

documentary film guide +2
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Cover image for "Where Pandas Live: The Complete Global Distribution Guide"
Featured
Culture 📚 general

Where Pandas Live: The Complete Global Distribution Guide

The giant panda diaspora spans 58 locations across continents — from the misty bamboo forests of Sichuan to climate-controlled enclosures in Singapore, from mountain reserves that shelter free-ranging pandas to urban zoos that host celebrities. This article provides the definitive guide to panda geography: where they live, why they're there, what the distribution reveals about conservation history, and how the map has changed from 1869 to today.

distribution geography locations +4
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World map

Where this place sits in the wider panda world

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Click a marker to open the place page Panda counts reflect current archive records

📍 All Locations

Coordinates: 32.7353 N, 117.1490 W

Archive notes

About San Diego Zoo

Operated by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the 100-acre San Diego Zoo is located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It hosts over 3.2 million annual visitors, with iconic exhibits including Panda Canyon, African Rocks, and the Konrad Lorenz Rainforest of the World, home to 12,000+ animals representing 650+ species, including vulnerable koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), critically endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californianus), and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Its giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation program, run in partnership with the China Wildlife Conservation Association and Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, produced 6 surviving cubs between 1996 and 2019, including Hua Mei, the first giant panda cub born in the United States to survive to adulthood.

The zoo