A pair of pandas are making their big American debut.

Two giant pandas from China have officially arrived at the San Diego Zoo with the grand re-opening of their exhibit on Aug. 8.

The pandas, named Xin Bao and Yun Chuan, will live in the zoo’s newly renovated and expanded Panda Ridge, which is inspired by the landscapes of their native habitats in the Suchuan, Gansu and Shanxi provinces, according to the zoo’s website.

SAN DIEGO ZOO TO WELCOME PAIR OF GIANT PANDAS FROM CHAIN UNDER CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP

The bears, the first to enter the U.S. in 21 years, arrived safely on June 27, the zoo reported.

Yun Chuan, the almost 5-year-old male panda, is identifiable by his long, slightly pointed nose.

His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007. Yun Chuan is active, but is “known to be quite gentle,” said the zoo.

Xin Bao is an almost 4-year-old female recognized by her round face and fluffy ears.

Xin Bao’s name means “precious treasure of prosperity and abundance,” and she’s described as “very active, alert, witty and an excellent climber.”

OUTSIDE OF CHINA, PANDAS ARE ONLY FOUND IN THESE 5 ZOOS AROUND THE WORLD

The pandas’ arrival is the result of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 30-year partnership with conservationists in China, which aims to protect and recover giant pandas and bamboo forests.

“By uniting our strengths, we’re restoring flourishing populations and healthy ecosystems, so giant pandas can thrive,” the zoo states on its website.

In this photo released by the Xinhua News Agency, giant panda Xin Bao, a female, is seen on a tree at the Bifengxia Panda Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Yanan, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on April 18, 2024. (Xue Chen/Xinhua via AP, File)

“In the exciting next step of our partnership, we’re working to improve overall health and resilience for populations vulnerable to extinction and loss of genetic diversity,” the statement continued.

‘Hope and prosperity’ 

Species conservation has been at the forefront of global efforts since the bears’ populations dwindled in the 1990s.

The San Diego Zoo built an alliance with China to “shift panda recovery from an uncertain future to one of hope and prosperity,” the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance wrote in a June article.

PANDAS TO RETURN TO SAN DIEGO ZOO AS CHINA BRINGS BACK ‘PANDA DIPLOMACY’

The zoo welcomed its first giant pandas in 1996, making “critical” discoveries about the animals’ reproductive behavior as well as physiology, health, genetics, nutrition and habitat needs, according to the zoo.

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“We developed a giant panda milk formula, and together with our partners, other neonatal techniques that drastically increased survival rates for nursery-raised cubs from less than 10% to more than 90%,” the zoo wrote in an article. 

In this photo released by the Xinhua News Agency, giant panda Yun Chuan eats at the Bifengxia Panda Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Yanan, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on April 18, 2024. (Xue Chen/Xinhua via AP, File)

In 1999, the alliance also achieved the first successful artificial insemination of a giant panda outside of China.

The pandas, along with their U.S.-born babies, were sent back to China at the end of their 12-year loan agreement.

DC’S SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO TO WELCOME PAIR OF YOUNG PANDAS FROM CHINA

In 2016, the conservation status of giant pandas changed from endangered to vulnerable.

Now, the offspring of previous San Diego-raised pandas are returning to the U.S. to further conservation efforts.

The San Diego Zoo built an alliance with China to “shift panda recovery from an uncertain future to one of hope and prosperity,” the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance wrote in a June article. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

People visiting the San Diego Zoo can view the pandas for free, or they can book an early-morning walking tour that includes accompaniment by an expert guide and exclusive viewings.

As of Feb. 2024, Zoo Atlanta is the only other U.S. zoo to house giant pandas, including the first panda twins born in America in more than a quarter-century, according to the AP.

Giant pandas Yun Chuan (left) and Xin Bao (right) will live in the San Diego Zoo’s newly renovated and expanded Panda Ridge, which is inspired by the landscapes of the animals’ native habitats in the Suchuan, Gansu and Shanxi provinces. (AP)

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is expecting the arrival of two young giant pandas by the end of 2024, Reuters reported in May.

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This is just months after the zoo returned three bears to China in Nov. 2023 amid heightened U.S.-China tensions.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for comment.

A daily look at athletes from San Diego County competing at this summer’s Olympics:

Wednesday’s results

Basketball: Kelsey Plum (La Jolla Country Day) had six points in 16 minutes for the U.S. women in an 88-74 win against Nigeria in the quarterfinals. They get Australia in the semis Friday.

Skateboarding: Australia’s Keegan Palmer won the gold and fellow North County resident Tom Schaar (San Dieguito Academy) took the silver in men’s park. Tate Carew (Point Loma High School) was fifth and Italy’s Alex Sorgente (Cardiff) was sixth in the final. Gavin Bottger (Oceanside), Portugal’s Thomas Augusto (San Marcos) and Great Britain’s Andy Macdonald (Encinitas) didn’t advance out of the preliminary round.

Track cycling: Jennifer Valente (Cathedral Catholic) and the U.S. women won the team pursuit gold at the velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yveline, defeating New Zealand in the final. It is Valente’s fourth career Olympic medal and second gold.

Volleyball: Garrett Muagututia (Francis Parker) and the U.S. indoor men nearly pulled off the upset, leading 2-1 before losing 3-2 (25-23, 25-27, 14-25, 25-23, 15-13) against No. 1-ranked Poland in the semis. They’ll face Italy for the bronze medal.

Water polo: Alex Bowen (Santana High School) scored the tying goal with 32 seconds left to force a penalty shootout that the U.S. men won against Australia to advance to Friday’s semis against Serbia.

Thursday’s action

Canoe: Tokyo gold medalist Nevin Harrison, who lives in Clairemont and trains on Mission Bay, has the preliminary heats and quarterfinals of the C-1 200 meters flatwater event.

Sport climbing: Brooke Raboutou (USD), third after the boulder semifinals, goes in the lead portion of the semis. The final is Saturday.

Track and field: San Diego resident Chari Hawkins has four events in Day 1 of the heptathlon.

Originally Published: August 7, 2024 at 6:56 p.m.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and San Diego State Aztecs are set to complete their home-and-home series this upcoming season on Nov. 18, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.

The matchup between two of the top college basketball programs in the West is set to take place in San Diego, California, at the Viejas Arena, where the Aztecs are 43-3 over the past three seasons. 

San Diego State pulled off a rare road win at the McCarthey Athletic Center last season on Dec. 29, when Reese Waters and Jaedon LeDee combined for 42 points in an 84-74 victory over the Bulldogs led by Graham Ike’s 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. That game marked the first double-digit loss at The Kennel for Gonzaga in over a decade.

The Zags will see a much different foe this time around, however, as the Aztecs lost over three-quarters of their minutes played from last season’s squad that fell to UConn in the Sweet 16. Waters is back for his senior season, though Lamont Butler (Kentucky) and Micah Parrish (Ohio State) left via the transfer portal, while LeDee prepares for his first NBA season with the Minnesota Timberwolves after earning All-American honors in 2023-24. Darrion Trammell, who played a key role with 17 points off the bench in last season’s meeting, has since graduated following a five-year college career.

Head coach Brian Dutcher replaced the outgoing talent by bringing in Nick Boyd, a 6-foot-3 guard who started for Florida Atlantic’s Final Four team two seasons ago, as well as Wayne McKinney III, a double-digit scorer with San Diego this past season. The Aztecs, who finished last season ranked No. 28 on Bart Torvik, sit at No. 77 in Torvik’s 2024-25 projections.

Still, the Nov. 18 game should pose quite a challenge as the only true road game on Gonzaga’s nonconference slate to this point. The Bulldogs will also face Kentucky in Seattle (Dec. 7), UConn in New York (Dec. 14) and UCLA in Inglewood, California (Dec. 28) before entertaining an 18-game West Coast Conference schedule. There’s also the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament (Nov. 27-29) in the Bahamas.

Per a report from Rothstein on Tuesday, the Zags agreed to a home-and-home series with Arizona State that’ll begin on Nov. 10 in Spokane. That came out just as the WCC released its league schedule, beginning on Dec. 30 when Gonzaga travels to Malibu, California, to take on Pepperdine.

The Bulldogs have four open slots to fill on their 2024-25 nonconference schedule, according to NCAA rules that state teams can play up to 28 regular season games plus three in-season tournament games.