Giant panda Tian Tian rests in his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2023, the last day of observation before returning to China. The zoo’s three pandas have departed for China, at least temporarily ending a decades-old connection between the stuffed animal and the U.S. capital.
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Giant pandas have been one of the biggest attractions at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, since the first pair arrived in 1972 – a historic token of friendship from communist China.
Now, National Zoo officials say Washington will welcome two new adolescent pandas by the end of the year. The last bears left in November, bound for China on a FedEx cargo plane, without any agreement being made to obtain a new pair.
“We are beyond thrilled,” said Brandie Smith, director of the National Zoo. “The first time I walked through the panda house after they left, it was a really sad moment. But then we immediately turned our gaze to the future. »
China has a monopoly on one of the cutest creatures in the animal kingdom: the giant pandas’ native range lies entirely within the country’s borders. Today, around 2,000 of these animals roam the bamboo-filled mountains of south-central China.
For decades, the Chinese government has donated or loaned pandas to zoos around the world. It’s a practice called “panda diplomacy” and it often coincides with trade deals or other diplomatic events. But as relations have deteriorated in recent years between China and the United States, China has stopped renewing panda loans to American zoos. Atlanta is currently the last zoo in the country to house giant pandas, and they are about to return to China.
When asked whether international relations were at stake in the panda negotiations in Washington, Smith said she could not comment. “It’s not really my area of expertise,” she says.
The San Diego Zoo is also expected to welcome a new pair of pandas soon, but no date has been announced.
The 2 year old bears heading to DC are named Bao Li and Qing Bao. Both were born at the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan. Bao Li, however, has roots in Washington: Her mother, Bao Bao, was born at the National Zoo in 2013 and was a local celebrity before being sent to China in 2017. Bao Li’s grandparents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang , lived at the National Zoo. for 23 years before being sent back to China last year.
Male giant panda Xiao Qi Ji walks in his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo on September 23, 2023 in Washington, DC
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“We need this panda!” »
Mariel Lally, one of the zoo’s panda keepers, traveled with the bears on the FedEx cargo plane last year on their flight back to China. There, she saw Bao Li and immediately noticed a resemblance to her grandfather, Tian Tian.
“We were falling on the floor, we just couldn’t believe how adorable he was. We kept saying: we need this panda, we need him,” Lally says. “We didn’t know this would happen.”
At age 2, pandas are considered “sub-adults,” Lally says, comparable to adolescence in human life.
“They will look like little ones, but will still be very playful and want to spend a lot of time in the trees playing with toys,” says Lally.
The new panda loan comes with similar terms to previous agreements. The loan has a term of 10 years, although previous loans have often been extended. Any cubs born to the couple will belong to China and must be returned when they are 4 years old. The national zoo will pay $1 million a year to the China Wildlife and Conservation Association in exchange for the pandas, funds intended to support research and conservation efforts.
After decades of international efforts to breed pandas and restore their habitat, the animals are no longer considered endangered. Giant pandas are now listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Chinese environmental officials.
At the National Zoo, federal funding covers basic expenses like food and medicine for the animals, but it does not cover panda loan fees or cover the full cost of the panda program. The program has an annual budget of $2.8 million, including fees. About three-quarters of that budget is funded by donations, zoo memberships and other sales.
Around 2 million people visit the National Zoo each year and for many, the giant pandas are the first and most popular stop. Smith says there has been no noticeable drop in visitor numbers since the The last pandas have left, but it’s hard to tell because the zoo’s peak season is just starting to ramp up. And, she says, there are plenty of other animals to see.
“We know our visitors may come for the pandas, but they stay here for everything else,” says Smith.
With the panda habitat sitting empty, the zoo took the opportunity to upgrade the building and outdoor space. Crews are currently working on building new fencing, larger indoor and outdoor platforms and ponds.
“We want to make sure whatever we put in there is going to be sturdy, especially with two mischievous young pandas who are probably going to try to destroy the whole place,” says Lally.
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