(WASHINGTON) — The National Zoo’s long black panda drought is coming to an end.
Eleven months after the zoo sent its three most famous pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new bear arrived in the United States on Tuesday. They will be transported from Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia to the zoo.
A pair of three-year-old pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, left a research center in the southwestern Chinese city of Dujiangyan and will soon be flown to Washington, according to a statement from the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
“The food prepared for the trip includes corn bread, bamboo and carrots, as well as water and medicine,” the statement said, adding that the cooperation “will make a new contribution to the protection of biodiversity around the world and promote friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”
When the bears arrive in Washington, there will likely be additional quarantine and acclimatization time before they are introduced to the public. On Monday evening, the zoo’s website posted a warning that the entire area would be closed on Tuesday, without giving a reason. The leading article on the site still says that the pandas will arrive before the end of the year.
Bao Li (precious energy) and Qing Bao (green wealth) arrived in Washington as part of a new 10-year deal with Chinese authorities. The previous agreement expired last year, leading to some concern among American panda lovers that Beijing is slowly withdrawing its furry ambassadors from American zoos amid diplomatic tensions.
Two born at zoos in Memphis and San Diego had already returned to China earlier and four pandas at the Atlanta zoo left China last week.
That concern turned to hope last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly stated a desire to continue with panda replacement plans. This year, new bears have been brought to the San Diego Zoo, and another has been promised to San Francisco.
In Washington, National Zoo officials remained conspicuously silent about negotiations for a new panda deal, but expressed hope for a new deal and unveiled a multimillion-dollar renovation of its panda facility in anticipation. Then in late May, zoo director Brandie Smith met with first lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would arrive later this year.
The Chinese announcement said the National Zoo had sent “three experienced keepers and animal experts” to China to help transport and accompany the bears.
Zoo officials on Monday declined to confirm the Chinese announcement. Zoo spokeswoman Jennifer Zoon said in an email, “For the safety of the animals and staff, we cannot confirm information at this time.” But signs at the zoo and on its social media announced the planned return of the pandas and panda-themed merchandise still dominated gift shops.
“Giant pandas are part of the Washington, DC image, story, both for locals and travelers alike,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. “The interest and excitement associated with their return directly benefits the entire city, bringing excitement and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions.”
The exact terms of the agreement are not yet clear; under the 10-year agreements the Chinese government receives $1 million per year, per bear. Any cubs born in zoos abroad are usually returned to China before they are four years old.
Pandas have been one of the unofficial symbols of the nation’s capital, since 1972 when the first couple – Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing – were sent as a gift from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai following President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China. Later, a series of 10-year cooperation agreements were struck.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said that decades of cooperation have improved panda conservation and breeding research. During the lifetime of these agreements, giant pandas have been reclassified from endangered to endangered.
“The current round of cooperation will focus on the prevention and treatment of major diseases, and the protection of habitats and wild pandas,” Liu said in an email. “We hope that the arrival of the pandas will add new impetus to exchanges between China and the US, and help to stabilize bilateral relations.”
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