Two new giant pandas will arrive at the Smithsonian’s National zoo in Washington DC later this year, marking a very welcome return after the zoo’s remaining pandas returned to China last fall.
The Smithsonian announced on Wednesday that the pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, would arrive in the US capital by the end of the year. Both pandas currently reside in China, but Bao Li already has a connection to Washington as his mother Bao Bao was born at the National zoo in 2013.
“We’re thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family to Washington DC,” Brandie Smith, the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s John and Adrienne Mars director, said in a statement.
The news offered a glimmer of hope for US-Chinese relations, which have cooled in recent years amid mounting concerns over the future of Taiwan and economic competition. Last fall, when the zoo said goodbye to its last remaining pandas, there was speculation that China would not sign off on sending more of the animals to Washington, despite the country’s 50-year partnership with the Smithsonian.
In its press release, the zoo confirmed that the agreement on the new pandas, which is effective through April 2034, mirrored the terms of past projects. The pandas and any cubs they produce will remain under the ownership of China, and cubs born at the zoo will return to China by the age of four. The agreement will also allow the Smithsonian to conduct panda-related research projects with partners in China.
The Smithsonian released a video, featuring Jill Biden, the first lady, and Lonnie G Bunch III, Smithsonian secretary, on their social media channels to celebrate the news.
“It’s especially meaningful to have them at the National zoo, where people can visit the pandas in person for free or watch them on the Panda Cam with millions of people across the globe,” Bunch said in the video.
“We can’t wait to celebrate this historic moment here in our nation’s capital,” the first lady added. “It’s official: the pandas are coming back to DC.”
FedEx will once again serve as the zoo’s transportation partner to safely bring the animals to the US, a service that the company lovingly referred to as “the FedEx Panda Express”.
Richard W Smith, president and CEO of FedEx, said: “It’s a privilege to take part in this next phase of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s giant panda program and provide the safest and most comfortable transportation for these beloved animals.”
The news will be met with joy by the many Americans who mourned the pandas’ departure last year. When pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their three-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji left for China in November, it marked the first time in more than two decades that the National zoo was without pandas.
Zoo Atlanta currently houses the only giant pandas living in the US, but those four pandas are expected to return to China later this year. After the San Diego zoo lost the last of its pandas in 2019, the city will also welcome two new giant pandas from China this year.
“This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact,” Smith said. “Through this partnership, we have grown the panda population, advanced our shared understanding of how to care for this beloved bear and learned what’s needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat.”
