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Timeline
First Pandas in America
Giant pandas appeared in American museum collections as early as 1919. But the public had never seen a live panda until 1936 when traveler Ruth Harkness arrived home with a cub taken from the wild. In 1937 she sold the cub, named Su-Lin, to Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, where it was visited by enormous crowds.
1930s-1950s
Zoos begin to display giant pandas.
The arrival of Su-Lin sparked American interest and the Brookfield, Bronx, and Saint Louis zoos all acquired pandas for exhibit. By the 1950s, however, these animals had passed away. Due to changing Chinese policies, American zoos could not acquire new pandas. |