NEW YORK, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- After housing giant pandas for a quarter-century, Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, the U.S. state of Georgia, announced Friday that its four iconic black and white bears will return to China in mid-October, in tandem with the expiration of the zoo's giant panda agreement with China at the end of that month.
"While Zoo Atlanta will certainly miss Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun, and their departure is bittersweet, they have created a momentous legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, leaving their mark not only in the hearts of their friends and fans, but on the scientific and zoological communities' understanding of the behavior, biology, and care of this rare and treasured species," said Raymond B. King, president and CEO of the zoo, in a press release.
