Citadel’s Ken Griffin, Peng Zhao Help Pandas Make a New Home in San Diego

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Visitors view giant panda Xin Bao at the San Diego Zoo in the U.S. on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — Top executives from Citadel had a hand in giving giant pandas Xin Bao and Yun Chuan a home in San Diego — the first pandas to be loaned to the U.S. by China in 21 years.

Ken Griffin, chief executive officer of Citadel, and Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities, were lead donors to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to prepare Panda Ridge for the bears’ arrival. The area, which opened to the public Thursday, last had a panda in residence in 2019. The only other pandas in the U.S. are currently at Zoo Atlanta and are set to return to China by year-end.

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Citadel executives Ken Griffin and Peng Zhao donated to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to prepare Panda Ridge for pandas Xin Bao and Yun Chuan, the first pandas loaned to the U.S. by China in 21 years.
Panda Ridge opened to the public, marking the first panda residence in San Diego since 2019; the only other U.S. pandas are at Zoo Atlanta and will return to China by year’s end.
This move is part of renewed "panda diplomacy" post a Biden-Xi meeting, aiding panda conservation efforts improving from "endangered" to "vulnerable."

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Who’s Who

Citadel: Citadel is a financial institution where Ken Griffin serves as the chief executive officer, and Peng Zhao is the CEO of Citadel Securities. The firm's executives, Griffin and Zhao, contributed to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to prepare Panda Ridge for two giant pandas' arrival, marking the first pandas loaned to the U.S. by China in 21 years. Their donations also funded habitat renovations and new homes for other species at the zoo.

Citadel Securities: Citadel Securities, led by CEO Peng Zhao, is a prominent market maker affiliated with Citadel. Zhao, originally from China, contributed to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to welcome pandas Xin Bao and Yun Chuan. His efforts, alongside Citadel’s CEO Ken Griffin, supported the pandas' resettlement and habitat renovation, continuing their philanthropy in wildlife conservation.

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