China to send giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta under new 10-year conservation deal

China will send two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta in the United States under a new 10-year conservation agreement, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced Friday, renewing a partnership that produced seven cubs over a quarter-century.

A male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang, both born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, will make the journey to Atlanta under an agreement the zoo and the association reached last year, the association disclosed in a news release.

The agreement will begin a new 10-year conservation partnership between the two sides, marking the continuation of cooperation on panda conservation between China and the US dating to 1999.

Zoo Atlanta has begun upgrading facilities to receive the pair, with Chinese experts providing technical guidance on enclosure standards, husbandry practices, food supply and health care protocols, according to the association.

The association highlighted a highly productive partnership with Zoo Atlanta under the previous agreement.

Lun Lun and Yang Yang gave birth to seven cubs across five litters, marking the most successful breeding record in giant panda international cooperation between China and Western countries, it said.

Beyond breeding success, the two sides collaborated on behavioral training, preventive veterinary medicine and conservation education, the release said.

The resulting academic exchanges, it said, have not only advanced panda research, but also deepened mutual understanding between people of the two countries.

The renewed partnership will focus on disease prevention and control, scientific exchanges, giant panda field conservation and development of China's Giant Panda National Park, the association said.