Two giant pandas arrived at Zoo Atlanta over the weekend, becoming the third zoo in the United States to house the animals as part of conservation agreements with China.
Ping Ping, 6, and Fu Shuang, 5, arrived early in the morning on Sept. 27 after a 16-hour flight aboard an aircraft known as the “FedEx Panda Express.” They will remain in the U.S. for 10 years.
The bears, who are not yet available for the public to see, will stay in a “biosecure area” of Zoo Atlanta to quarantine for about a month, the zoo said in a statement. The zoo will announce when and where visitors can view the pandas at a later date.
Zoo Atlanta President Raymond B. King called the pandas’ arrival a “historic moment.”
“Zoo Atlanta is honored to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to see important work continue toward the conservation of giant pandas, which is the most important benefit of guarding this species,” King added.
The animals traveled on a private plane with custom crates and plenty of fresh bamboo, water and treats. After touching down in Atlanta, they received a police escort to Zoo Atlanta.
Ping Ping, who is a boy, is described as plump with a love of food. Fu Shuang, a girl, is smart and playful with a zest for apples.
In May, NBC’s Janis Mackey Frayer was able to visit Fu Shuang and Ping Ping before they made the nearly 8,000-mile flight.
Ping Ping’s keepers said he tends to follow them around, which is atypical behavior for a panda but may be because of the food they have for him. Fu Shuang — which translates to “double happiness” — is playful but nervous, and she enjoys placing her chin on her paw.
“Because we will hide pieces of apples, for example under the tree … she can find them everywhere,” panda keeper Wang Shun told Mackey Frayer, noting her “clever” behavior.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called the pandas’ move to Atlanta “an envoy of friendship” while he was at the White House last week.
The pandas are part of an international cooperative research agreement on giant panda conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the latest example of panda diplomacy between America and China, which began in 1972.
Pandas are already at zoos in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Zoo Atlanta maintained a panda agreement with China from 1999 until 2024, when giant pandas Lun Lun and Yang Yang went back to their home country, along with their two youngest cubs.
