ATLANTA (NEWSnet/AP) — Zoo Atlanta is preparing to return panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang to China, along with twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, zoo officials said Friday.

Atlanta received Lun Lun and Yang Yang from China in 1999 as part of a 25-year loan agreement.

Ya Lun and Xi Lun, born in 2016, are the youngest of seven pandas born at Zoo Atlanta. Their siblings are in the care of China’s Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding.

It’s possible a new panda pair will reach the U.S. prior to the departure. In April, San Diego Zoo said staff members had traveled to China to meet Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. Those bears could arrive in California this summer.

The four Atlanta pandas have been the last in the United States since National Zoo in Washington returned three to China in November 2023.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.