WASHINGTON (AP) — Two giant pandas will be coming from China to Washington’s National Zoo by the end of the year.
The zoo made the announcement Wednesday, about six months later. Three pandas sent back to ChinaThe number of pandas in American zoos has been steadily declining as loan agreements have expired. Diplomatic tensions Between the United States and China, economic relations, technology, trade, Taiwan, and even Scout balloon.
The pair of pandas are Bao Li (pronounced bow-lee) and Qin Bao (chin-bou), according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Giant pandas are icons of Washington, DC, and beloved throughout the country and around the world. For more than 50 years, the institute has created and maintained one of the world’s leading giant panda conservation programs, helping move the panda from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the world’s list of threatened species.
“We are pleased to announce the start of a new chapter in our breeding and conservation partnership by welcoming two bears, including the offspring of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.,” said Zoo Director Brandi Smith. “This historic moment is clear evidence that our collaboration with our Chinese colleagues has had an undeniable impact. Through this partnership, we have increased panda populations, developed a shared understanding of how to care for these beloved bears, and learned what it takes to protect wild pandas and preserve their native habitat.”
Two weeks ago, the Chinese Embassy in Washington held a video series event on the friendship between the people of China and the United States, where Smith gave a moving speech about his experiences with giant pandas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has signaled China’s intention to send new pandas to the United States during a visit there later in 2023. He called the pandas “ambassadors of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”
“We are ready to continue cooperation with the United States on panda protection and will do our utmost to meet the wishes of the people of California to deepen the friendly relations between our two peoples,” Xi said in a speech to business leaders while attending the Indo-Pacific Summit and meeting with President Joe Biden.
“I heard that many Americans, especially children, really didn’t want to say goodbye to the pandas and went to the zoo to see them off,” Xi said in his speech, adding that he learned the San Diego Zoo and people in California “are very eager to see the pandas home.”
In making the announcement, the zoo said: Light-hearted Video Featuring Smith, Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, and first lady Jill Biden, the three are seen huddling to discuss protocol for a reception for the unnamed honored guest. When Biden asks about attire and the menu, Smith coldly responds that the upcoming guest is a “strict vegetarian” and “prone to black and white.”
Last November, giant pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, along with their cub Xiao Qiji Returned to ChinaThe departure of the three pandas prompted a nationwide farewell from millions of panda fans of all ages across the U.S. With the departure of the three pandas, Zoo Atlanta will be the only panda family left in an American zoo, with the remaining pandas scheduled to return to China later this year.
Zoo Atlanta is preparing to return the panda parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, and their American-born twins, Yalun and Shilun, to the U.S., zoo officials said earlier this month. No date has been set for the return, but it’s likely to take place between October and December.
Before the Atlanta pandas depart, another pair of pandas may be on the way to the U.S. The San Diego Zoo announced last month that staff members recently visited China and met pandas Yunchuan and Xin Bao, who could arrive in California as soon as this summer. Separate Agreement It was also announced that a breeding pair of pandas would be sent to San Francisco.
Pandas have long been a symbol of U.S.-China friendship since Beijing donated a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in 1972, prior to the normalization of ties between the two countries. Beijing has since loaned the animals to other U.S. zoos, with revenues going back into panda conservation programs.
As U.S.-China relations began to deteriorate in recent years, Chinese citizens began demanding the return of the giant pandas, and unproven allegations that U.S. zoos were mistreating the animals, known as China’s “national treasures,” flooded Chinese social media.
According to the National Zoo, the pandas coming to Washington are:
— Bao Li is a 2-year-old male whose name means “treasure” and “spirited”. He was born on August 4, 2021, at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Sichuan Province to father An An and mother Bao Bao. According to the zoo, Bao Li’s mother was born at the zoo in 2013, and his grandparents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang lived at the zoo from 2000 to 2023. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, along with their child Xiao Qi Ji, left the zoo in November.
— Qinbao, a 2-year-old female cat. Her name means “green” and “treasure.” Born September 12, 2021.
“This historic moment is clear evidence that our collaboration with our Chinese colleagues has had an undeniable impact,” zoo director Smith said.
“Through this partnership, we have developed a shared understanding of how to care for these beloved bears and learned what it takes to protect wild pandas and preserve their native habitat,” Smith said in a statement.
The zoo said the new pandas will be quarantined in their enclosure for at least 30 days after their arrival, and a date for the pandas’ public release will be announced once the team deems them ready.
The research and breeding agreement with China will be in effect until April 2034, and as with previous agreements, any cubs born at the zoo will be transferred to China by the age of four, according to the announcement. The zoo will pay an annual fee of $1 million to the China Wildlife Conservation Society to support research and conservation efforts in China.
