Fans of the Smithsonian National Zoo are pining in anticipation as two new giant pandas from China are expected to land in D.C. Tuesday, nearly a year after the zoo’s exhibit was devastatingly vacated.
It’s been 11 months since three of the famed bears left the District, leaving D.C.-area panda lovers in a lurch. Now, they will no longer have to bear the pain of a panda-less National Zoo.
Officials said Monday that Bao Li and Qing Bao, both three years old, were heading to D.C. — prompting panda-monium with the bears’ much-anticipated return to the nation’s capital now in sight.
The “Panda Express” — a FedEx Boeing 777 cargo jet carrying the bears — is scheduled to land Tuesday.
It marks the continuation of the giant panda conservation program partnership between China and the U.S.
11 months of despair for DC with no pandas
On the afternoon of Nov. 8, 2023, beloved bears Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji boarded the “Panda Express” at Dulles International Airport.
The three bears flew 19 hours to the Wolong Panda Reserve in Chengdu, China. It was a tough goodbye for zoo staff and fans with uncertainty about whether the black-and-white bears would ever return.
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived at the National Zoo in December 2000. In 2020, Mei Xiang gave birth to Xiao Qi Ji, becoming the oldest panda in the U.S. to give birth.
The zoo’s panda exhibit brought in millions of visitors each year. But it’s been unoccupied since November. In the panda’s absence, the zoo upgraded the enclosure, making improvements to help visitors get a clearer view of the pandas among other changes.
What do we know about Bao Li and Qing Bao
The pandas left southwest China on Monday, ready for travel with snacks such as bamboo shoots and carrots as well as medications in hand, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Last May, the National Zoo announced the two pandas would be transported to the zoo by the end of 2024.
They’re the first pair of pandas China has sent to D.C. in 24 years.
One of the pandas arriving Tuesday is a descendant of the Smithsonian’s former “panda family.” Bao Li is the son of Bao Bao, who was born at the D.C. zoo in 2013.
“He reminds me a lot of his grandfather, Tian Tian,” panda keeper Mariel Lally told CNN. She will be taking the journey to D.C. with Bao Li and Qing Bao.
‘Panda diplomacy’ in a black-and-white world
The National Zoo was the first in the U.S. to take part in what’s become known as “panda diplomacy.”
When a mass exodus of pandas over the past couple of years took place as panda leases between U.S. zoos and China expired, some feared the partnerships were coming to a close.
But around the time the Smithsonian’s pandas departed last November, Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that China would send new pandas to the U.S., calling them “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”
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