New murals, hammock, cameras await National Zoo’s new giant pandas
Posted on 10/15/2024
There’s lush new sod in the National Zoo’s giant panda compound. There’s a new panda “hammock,” made out of strips of fire hose. And there are 40 new cameras in the Pandacam system.
As Washington awaits the imminent arrival from China of two new giant pandas — Qing Bao, a 3-year-old female, and Bao Li, a 3-year-old male — the zoo says it is ready.
For security reasons, the zoo has been mum about the exact arrival date in D.C.
On Sept. 13, the animals were moved to a pre-export quarantine facility for 30 days, according to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. And the required U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service import permit was issued Oct. 7, according to a wildlife service spokeswoman.
The bears are being flown from Chengdu, China, on a FedEx “Panda Express” cargo jet. On Saturday, a FedEx “Panda Express” cargo jet flew the Atlanta zoo’s four giant pandas on a scheduled journey to Chengdu. FedEx declined to say if it was the same plane that would transport the National Zoo’s animals from Chengdu to Washington.
But 11 months after the District’s last giant pandas left for China, the two black-and-white newcomers seem poised to resume the zoo’s 52-year project to conserve, study and exhibit giant pandas.
They come after concern in the past few years that the program might be in jeopardy, in part, because of complicated and sometimes tense relations between the United States and China.
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“I was always certain that pandas would return,” Brandie Smith, the zoo’s director, said in a telephone interview earlier this month. “But if you asked me last year how long it would take … I would have said we will need to wait a few years.”
“I think it’s a testament to our team, to our science, to our relations that it will be less than a year when giant pandas return,” she said.
The bears are expected to arrive at Dulles International Airport. They are coming on a 10-year lease, ending in April 2034, during which the zoo will pay the China Wildlife and Conservation Association $1 million per year, the zoo has said.
Once the pandas arrive, zoogoers will have to wait several weeks for a chance to see the bears. They will be quarantined for at least 30 days to reduce the risk of introducing parasites or disease to other animals. Then they’ll get a little more quiet time to get used to their habitat and zookeepers.
The revamp of the panda house includes new indoor murals showing scenes of misty mountains, new panda climbing structures made out of black locust timber, and new flooring. New viewing glass has been installed. Higher fences have been built, and the air conditioning has been upgraded.
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The renovation priorities were safety and security, Smith said. “We increased the height of the fence,” she said. “We decreased the depth of some of the pools. … One of the biggest projects was a smoke evacuation system in the [panda] house.”
“Then, of course, we’re going to get two young pandas here,” she said. “We want to make it fun.”
Foodwise, the zoo already has the recipe for Chinese panda bread, she said. But some American food will be gradually introduced.
“For example, our sweet potatoes, we cook our sweet potatoes for them,” she said. “They’re a little extra sweet when you do that. So little twists that we use here. We want to make sure that they enjoy it.”
New panda Bao Li has family roots in the District.
He is the son of Bao Bao, a female giant panda who was born at the zoo in 2013, and the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the zoo’s most recent panda couple residents.
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By prior agreement, Mei Xiang, a 26-year-old female, Tian Tian, a 27-year-old male, and their offspring, Xiao Qi Ji, a 4-year-old male — left for China last Nov. 8.
Smith, the zoo’s director, speaking then, said it seemed like the “end of an era” for a program that went back to 1972, when the first giant pandas came as gifts to the zoo from China.
Now, China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos, and has agreements that require the animals and their cubs to go to China after their tenure in the United States. (The Chinese have asked the zoo not use the words “lease” or “rent,” preferring the term “conservation cooperative agreement.”)
But only six months after the departure of Washington’s giant panda trio, the zoo announced on May 29 that it was getting Qing Bao and Bao Li.
“I am filled with such joy right now,” Smith said at the time.
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Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, added, “For the well being of both peoples, and the future of the world, China and the United States should choose to be partners, not rivals.”
In China, there has reportedly been discontent over the departure of the pandas, and a strong sentiment by some to keep giant pandas in China.
Beijing has said both sides have made every effort to ensure the pandas adapt well to a new environment and live in comfort.
“To make sure that Bao Li and Qing Bao live a healthy life in the United States, Chinese experts have made three trips to the U.S. to advise venue renovation and provide technical consultations, clarifying the standards and requirements of venue facilities, as well as the feeding and management, food guarantee and health care of the pandas,” iPanda, a state-run live-streaming service that records the pandas’ daily life at two major bases in Sichuan province, posted on Weibo this month.
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A cooperative research agreement between China and the National Z00 signed in April required the zoo to buy transportation insurance for the pandas that would pay the Chinese a $1 million death benefit for each bear.
When the pandas arrive, they are likely to get a police escort to the zoo.
The zoo is in the midst of a 10-year, $25 million drive to support its giant panda programs. The campaign is part of the $2.5 billion “Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future” fundraising effort the institution unveiled last month.
The National Zoo has had eight giant pandas in the past. The newcomers will make it 10.
As Washington awaits the imminent arrival from China of two new giant pandas — Qing Bao, a 3-year-old female, and Bao Li, a 3-year-old male — the zoo says it is ready.
For security reasons, the zoo has been mum about the exact arrival date in D.C.
On Sept. 13, the animals were moved to a pre-export quarantine facility for 30 days, according to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. And the required U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service import permit was issued Oct. 7, according to a wildlife service spokeswoman.
The bears are being flown from Chengdu, China, on a FedEx “Panda Express” cargo jet. On Saturday, a FedEx “Panda Express” cargo jet flew the Atlanta zoo’s four giant pandas on a scheduled journey to Chengdu. FedEx declined to say if it was the same plane that would transport the National Zoo’s animals from Chengdu to Washington.
But 11 months after the District’s last giant pandas left for China, the two black-and-white newcomers seem poised to resume the zoo’s 52-year project to conserve, study and exhibit giant pandas.
They come after concern in the past few years that the program might be in jeopardy, in part, because of complicated and sometimes tense relations between the United States and China.
Advertisement
“I was always certain that pandas would return,” Brandie Smith, the zoo’s director, said in a telephone interview earlier this month. “But if you asked me last year how long it would take … I would have said we will need to wait a few years.”
“I think it’s a testament to our team, to our science, to our relations that it will be less than a year when giant pandas return,” she said.
The bears are expected to arrive at Dulles International Airport. They are coming on a 10-year lease, ending in April 2034, during which the zoo will pay the China Wildlife and Conservation Association $1 million per year, the zoo has said.
Once the pandas arrive, zoogoers will have to wait several weeks for a chance to see the bears. They will be quarantined for at least 30 days to reduce the risk of introducing parasites or disease to other animals. Then they’ll get a little more quiet time to get used to their habitat and zookeepers.
The revamp of the panda house includes new indoor murals showing scenes of misty mountains, new panda climbing structures made out of black locust timber, and new flooring. New viewing glass has been installed. Higher fences have been built, and the air conditioning has been upgraded.
Advertisement
The renovation priorities were safety and security, Smith said. “We increased the height of the fence,” she said. “We decreased the depth of some of the pools. … One of the biggest projects was a smoke evacuation system in the [panda] house.”
“Then, of course, we’re going to get two young pandas here,” she said. “We want to make it fun.”
Foodwise, the zoo already has the recipe for Chinese panda bread, she said. But some American food will be gradually introduced.
“For example, our sweet potatoes, we cook our sweet potatoes for them,” she said. “They’re a little extra sweet when you do that. So little twists that we use here. We want to make sure that they enjoy it.”
New panda Bao Li has family roots in the District.
He is the son of Bao Bao, a female giant panda who was born at the zoo in 2013, and the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the zoo’s most recent panda couple residents.
Advertisement
By prior agreement, Mei Xiang, a 26-year-old female, Tian Tian, a 27-year-old male, and their offspring, Xiao Qi Ji, a 4-year-old male — left for China last Nov. 8.
Smith, the zoo’s director, speaking then, said it seemed like the “end of an era” for a program that went back to 1972, when the first giant pandas came as gifts to the zoo from China.
Now, China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos, and has agreements that require the animals and their cubs to go to China after their tenure in the United States. (The Chinese have asked the zoo not use the words “lease” or “rent,” preferring the term “conservation cooperative agreement.”)
But only six months after the departure of Washington’s giant panda trio, the zoo announced on May 29 that it was getting Qing Bao and Bao Li.
“I am filled with such joy right now,” Smith said at the time.
Advertisement
Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, added, “For the well being of both peoples, and the future of the world, China and the United States should choose to be partners, not rivals.”
In China, there has reportedly been discontent over the departure of the pandas, and a strong sentiment by some to keep giant pandas in China.
Beijing has said both sides have made every effort to ensure the pandas adapt well to a new environment and live in comfort.
“To make sure that Bao Li and Qing Bao live a healthy life in the United States, Chinese experts have made three trips to the U.S. to advise venue renovation and provide technical consultations, clarifying the standards and requirements of venue facilities, as well as the feeding and management, food guarantee and health care of the pandas,” iPanda, a state-run live-streaming service that records the pandas’ daily life at two major bases in Sichuan province, posted on Weibo this month.
Advertisement
Skip to end of carousel
Make the most of the DMV with our newsletter
Make living in D.C. a little easier and more fun. Sign up for the Post Local newsletter to get local news, weather and expert advice — where to eat, where to drink and how to get around — every weekday.
End of carousel
A cooperative research agreement between China and the National Z00 signed in April required the zoo to buy transportation insurance for the pandas that would pay the Chinese a $1 million death benefit for each bear.
When the pandas arrive, they are likely to get a police escort to the zoo.
The zoo is in the midst of a 10-year, $25 million drive to support its giant panda programs. The campaign is part of the $2.5 billion “Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future” fundraising effort the institution unveiled last month.
The National Zoo has had eight giant pandas in the past. The newcomers will make it 10.
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