Panda pair Bao Li and Qing Bao are set to arrive at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on October 15th, as announced by the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the 14th. However, it will be at least a month before visitors can see them up close.
According to The Washington Post, the two pandas were shipped from Chengdu, China, aboard a FedEx Boeing 777 cargo plane nicknamed “Panda Express.” Flight tracking website FlightAware indicates that the flight is expected to touch down at Washington Dulles International Airport at 9:55 AM on the 15th.
Once settled at the National Zoo, visitors will have the chance to witness the two pandas grow from adolescence into adulthood, potentially even welcoming a new cub along the way. However, a minimum 30-day quarantine period is required once they arrive, to reduce the risk of introducing parasites or diseases, followed by a necessary adjustment period for them to acclimate to their new environment and zookeepers.
The National Zoo has secured a 10-year lease for these new pandas, which will conclude in April 2034. During this period, they will pay the China Wildlife Conservation Association $1 million each year. Given the recent complexities and tensions in U.S.-China relations, there were concerns about the future of the panda exchange program. In mid-November last year, three pandas at the National Zoo—26-year-old Tian Tian, 25-year-old Mei Xiang, and 3-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji—returned to China earlier than expected. Notably, all three of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang’s previous cubs—Tai Shan, Bao Bao, and Bei Bei—went back to China after turning four. Bao Bao, who was born at the National Zoo in 2013, later gave birth to Bao Li in 2021.
Brandie Smith, the director of the National Zoo, expressed her belief in the return of pandas during an interview this month. Although she initially thought it would take more years for that to happen, she now sees the arrival of Bao Li and Qing Bao in under a year as a testament to the excellence of her team, the science involved, and their established relationships.
