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The Smithsonian‘s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC, announced the awaited arrival of two giant pandas from China this week.
Bao Li, a male, and Qing Bao, a female, are expected to arrive on Tuesday. According to ABC News, both pandas are 3-year-olds and were born a month apart in 2021, the pandas have been described as energetic and fond of climbing.
On Monday, Bao Li and Qing Bao started their journey, leaving the China Giant Panda Conservation Research Center and flying out of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a specially arranged flight.
Bao Li is a descendant of Bao Bao, a panda born at the National Zoo DC in 2013 who lived there until 2017. Following a longstanding breeding program aimed at preserving the species, all pandas born at the National Zoo return to China at the age of 4.
The species is currently classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and these programs play a crucial role in supporting their longevity. Some pandas, like Bao Li, may continue their diplomatic legacy, and others may even be reintroduced into the wild.
Chinese experts conducted many visits to the National Zoo to ensure the pandas’ safety and well-being. Their assessments confirmed that the zoo’s facilities, food sources, health monitoring, and breeding program met the necessary standards for the pandas, and they will have adequate space and climbing structures in their new home.
The arrival of these pandas follows the June arrival of Yun Chaun and Xin Bao at the San Diego Zoo, making it the first time in 21 years that pandas have entered the US amid renewed diplomatic ties with China.
The National Zoo teased the pandas’ arrival in May, sharing a statement and video featuring First Lady Jill Biden, celebrating the zoo’s 52-year conservation partnership with China.