The March 6, 2017, Issue of New York Magazine
Yong Yong, one of a pair of the last pandas to live in New York, at the Bronx Zoo in 1987.
Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images
Ten years ago, Yue-Sai Kan had the idea of bringing pandas to New York City. She even went to the Bronx Zoo and asked the head zookeeper how to do it. The idea was shelved after she learned of the huge costs involved. Now, with a new ally on her side Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Yue-Sai sees an exciting new future for the Panda Project. The Pandas are Coming to NYC Inc., a 501(C) non-profit organization, was founded in 2016. The new non-profit introduced the Black & White Panda Ball in Waldorf Astoria on Feb. 8,2017 as the first step to collect enough funds to bring the cuddly black and white creatures to New York City.