https://phys.org/news/2019-03-zoo-beloved-giant-pandas-china.html

"Although we are sad to see these pandas go, we have great hopes for the future," Shawn Dixon, chief operating officer for San Diego Zoo Global, said in a statement issued Monday. "Working with our colleagues in China, San Diego Zoo Global is ready to make a commitment for the next stage of our panda program."

The pandas had been on loan to the zoo as part of a long-term conservation agreement that is coming to an end.