A new set of giant pandas are on their way to the Smithsonian National Zoo, marking the latest step in panda diplomacy.
Bao Li and Qing Bao, both three, departed the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda on Monday evening local time in Dujiangyan.
They’re scheduled to arrive in the US on Tuesday via a Fedex Boeing 777 cargo jet dubbed the “Panda Express.” CNN footage showed the pandas in their crates boarding a truck. The duo will spend the next 10 years of their lives at the National Zoo in Washington DC.
To prepare the pandas for their 19-hour and 7,631-mile journey, caretakers packed water, medicines and snacks like steamed corn bread, bamboo shoots and carrots.
The bears needed to undergo physical examinations and quarantines ahead of their departures from China.
The US sent three experienced keepers and veterinary experts to China to help escort the pandas to DC. In order to prepare the animals for their 9,000 mile flight, caretakers prepared water, medicine and snacks like steamed corn bread, bamboo shoots and carrots.
The zoo did not respond to an emailed media inquiry, but posted a statement on X on Monday stating that it would be closed to the public the following day.
“For the safety of the pandas and staff, we will not disclose any additional timing,” the zoo said.
When the bears arrive in Washington DC, they’ll be quarantined for a minimum of 30 days to acclimatize to their new environment and prevent the spread of any diseases.
Their new home will be a sprawling habitat complete with hammocks, murals, climbing structures and stable source of bamboo. Zoo officials began renovating the enclosure in November 2023, when the facility said goodbye to its longtime panda residents Mei Xiang, 26 Tian Tian, 27, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, 4.
It had been the first time in more than 20 years that the panda enclosure at the zoo had gone without its favorite black and white animals. China first began loaning pandas to the US in 1972.
As pandas began leaving zoos across the country, including in San Diego and Memphis, it became unclear if China would send another pair of the beloved mammals.
But last November while meeting with leaders at the APEC in San Francisco, Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted that a new pair of pandas would be heading to the National Zoo.
First Lady Jill Biden made the announced the news in a video message alongside the zoo’s directors in May.
“It’s official! The pandas are coming back to DC!” she said.
The aim of the zoo’s panda program is to breed the two bears. Any cubs they produce will return to China by the age of 4.
The zoo has agreed to pay a $1m annual fee to the research center in exchange for housing the bears. The pandas do not belong to the zoo and will be on a 10-year loan. It costs the zoo a total of $2.8m annually to house the animals.
The bears are related to former residents of the zoo. Bao Li is the son of Bao Bao, a female giant panda who was born at the zoo in 2013. He’s also the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the zoo’s most recent bears.
About two million people visit the zoo annually with the hope of catching a glimpse at the animals.
