San Diego Zoo

San Diego, CA, U.S.A.

About San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is an international, nonprofit conservation organization with two front doors: the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships. Through wildlife care, science expertise and collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. Annually, the Alliance reaches over 1 billion people, in person at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and virtually in 150 countries through media channels, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming in children’s hospitals in 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible.

The San Diego Zoo was founded on October 2, 1916, by Harry M. Wegeforth, M.D.

It integrates wildlife health and care, science, and education to develop sustainable conservation solutions. Conservation is at the heart of everything the San Diego Zoo does.

Mission Statement
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting our expertise in animal care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature.

San Diego Zoo
The 100-acre (40-hectare) Zoo is home to more than 3,500 rare and endangered animals representing more than 650 species and subspecies, and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is located just north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.

Giant pandas at San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo has had a love affair with giant pandas ever since the visit of Basi & Yuan Yuan for 100 days in 1987. After years of red tape and tons of application paperwork, the San Diego Zoo and China agreed on a 12-year research loan of two giant pandas, Bai Yun and Shi Shi, who arrived at the Zoo in 1996. A brand-new exhibit area was built for the breeding pair, which has since been expanded and renovated and iwas called the Giant Panda Research Station. Hua Mei, the first surviving panda cub born in the United States of America was born in 1999. Male Shi Shi moved back to China in 2003 and was replaced by Gao Gao.  In 2008, the panda loan was extended for another five years and it was renewed for a second time in 2013. Bai Yun had 5 cubs with Gao Gao in San Diego. Bai Yun and her last cub Xiao Liwu, returned to China in 2019.

In June 2024 a new panda couple Yun Chuan & Xin Bao took residence at the San Diego Zoo. They made their public debut on August 8, 2024.

    Latest News

    San Diego Zoo

    Yun Chuan and Xin Bao moved to San Diego

    2024-06-26

    A delegation of representatives from the United States, includingleaders of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, joined esteemed dignitaries and conservation leaders earliertoday in China at the China Conservation & Research Center for Giant Pandas in Sichuan province for afarewell ceremony honoring the two giant pandas coming to the San Diego Zoo. The historic ceremony commemorating […]

    San Diego Zoo’s new panda pair

    2024-04-26

    San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance conservation and care team leadersrecently visited China and met Yun Chuan (pronounced yoon chu-an) and Xin Bao (pronounced singbao) the two giant pandas to be cared for by San Diego Zoo. “It was an honor to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao in person and meet our conservation partnerscaring for […]

    San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and China Wildlife Conservation Association Sign a New Cooperative Agreement for Giant Panda Collaboration

    2024-02-22

    San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) took an important step forward in having giant pandas return to the San Diego Zoo by signing a cooperative agreement with China Wildlife Conservation Association and filing a permit application with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  SDZWA has a nearly 30-year conservation partnership with research collaborators in China […]

    Tree Dens Play a Critical Role for Giant Panda Mothers Rearing Cubs

    2019-04-16

    Study Reinforces Importance of Old Growth Forests in Panda Habitats In a paper recently published in the journal Biological Conservation, an international team of conservationists highlights the importance of tree dens for pandas raising infants in native habitats. The study, conducted in Fengtongzai and Foping Nature Reserves in China, analyzed the difference in microhabitats of cave […]

    An Enduring Conservation Legacy: The San Diego Zoo Panda Team

    2019-04-11

    Article by Megan Owen, Ph. D., director of Population Sustainability at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research: Successful and enduring conservation inherently demands that a cross-disciplinary team approach be implemented. So, when I look back at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Conservation Program, I can say without hesitation that when—more than 25 […]

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