"China to Send More Pandas to San Diego Zoo in Diplomatic Gesture"

China plans to send a new pair of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo, renewing its longstanding gesture of friendship toward the United States after recalling nearly all the iconic bears on loan to U.S. zoos as relations soured between the two nations. The China Wildlife Conservation Association recently signed cooperation agreements with zoos in San Diego and Madrid, and is in talks with zoos in Washington, D.C. and Vienna. The zoos typically pay a fee of $1 million a year for two pandas, with the money earmarked for China’s conservation efforts. The return of the bears is not only good for San Diego but also for the giant panda’s recovery as a species.