Washington— He The United States National Zoo will finally receive two new pandas11 months after sending back to China to his three popular bears: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and his little son Xiao Qi Ji.
The new pair of bears arrived in the United States on Tuesday and will be transported from Dulles International Airport, in suburban Virginia, to the zoo.
A pair of three-year-old giant pandas, called Bao Li and Qing Baoleft a research facility in the southwest of the Chinese city of Dujiangyan and will soon be transferred to Washington, according to a statement from the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
“Foods prepared for the trip include corn bread, bamboo, carrots, as well as water and medicine,” the statement read, adding that the association “will make new contributions to the protection of global biodiversity and enhance the friendship of the people of the two countries.”
Once the bears arrive in Washington, there will likely be an extended quarantine and acclimatization period before introducing them to the public. On Monday night, the zoo’s website posted a notice that the entire facility would be closed on Tuesday, without giving a reason. The site’s main article kept saying that the pandas would arrive sometime before the end of the year.
Bao Li (precious energy) and Qing Bao (green treasure) will arrive in Washington as part of a new 10-year agreement with Chinese authorities. The previous agreement expired last year, prompting some concern among panda-loving Americans that Beijing was gradually withdrawing its furry ambassadors of friendship from American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions.
Breeding pairs in zoos Memphis and San Diego They returned to China earlier, and Zoo Atlanta’s four pandas left for China last week.
That anxiety turned to optimism in November last year, when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly expressed his desire to continue panda exchange programs. This year, a new pair of bears was delivered to the San Diego Zoo, while another pair has been promised to San Francisco.
In Washington, officials at the National Zoo were strikingly silent about negotiations for a new agreement with pandas.but they were optimistic about it and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of their venue to anticipate. In late May, zoo director Brandie Smith joined first lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would arrive at the end of the year.
The Chinese announcement said that the National Zoo had sent “three experienced caregivers and veterinary experts” to China to help transport and accompany the bears.