It’s been a long, terrible six months without the most famous symbol of Washington’s literal soft diplomacy: the giant panda, but this excruciating (and unfortunate) drought may soon be over.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced Wednesday that two fluffy pandas will soon arrive in the U.S. from China. The pandas, Bao Li and Qin Bao, are expected to fly over before the end of the year, according to a statement from the zoo.
They’re both 2 years old, making them a young Washington power couple, and their arrival comes after the departure in November of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the two adult pandas who are the grandparents of male panda Bao Li.
Panda swaps are a feature of a longstanding agreement between the Smithsonian and the China Wildlife Conservation Society. When the agreement to keep the three in the U.S. expired last year, panda lovers and diplomats worried that tensions between Beijing and Washington could prevent the program from continuing.
At a diplomatic summit in San Francisco in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested the pandas could return to the U.S. as an “envoy of friendship” between the two countries. The zoos worked out the agreement separately, without the help of diplomats, according to officials familiar with the arrangement who were not authorized to speak publicly about such a sensitive issue. The San Diego Zoo is also set to receive two pandas, China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier this month.
The purpose of the agreement between Washington and Beijing is to promote panda breeding and captivity, and the birth of a new panda will be closely monitored and celebrated. If Washington’s past panda births are any indication, the two new pandas arriving on a special FedEx flight are likely to land with much fanfare.
The newlyweds are from Washington; Bao Li’s mother, Bao Bao, was born in Washington; Michelle Obama attended the naming ceremony for her brother, Bei Bei, in 2015.
Some mourn his death. Newborn panda cubs are about the size of a stick of butter and are very weak, tiny and pink, making them easily harmed by their human caregivers or mothers. Newborn panda cubs have almost no hair, so they need to constantly regulate their body temperature. When they urinate and defecate, human caregivers must ensure they have a healthy supply of hydration and nutrients.
Under the closely monitored sanctuary (which even had live panda cameras, but we all know that), Bao Bao thrived and became a celebrity by the time she was sent to China in 2017.
During their time in Washington, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian gave birth to four cubs that survived past infancy. The oldest, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and sent to China in 2010. Fans in Washington mourned Tai Shan’s departure. Mei Xiang gave birth to her youngest, Xiao Qizhi, during the pandemic, at an age when scientists thought Xiao Qizhi would no longer be able to have any more cubs.
The Smithsonian said the terms of the latest agreement are similar to previous ones: Bao Li, Qin Bao and their offspring will remain owned by China, and any cubs born in Washington must be returned to Washington by age 4. Raising and studying pandas is expensive, and the Smithsonian has launched a $25 million fundraising campaign to boost the program’s budget.
