The long absence of pandas at the Washington National Zoo appears to be coming to an end: 11 months after the park will send its three popular pandas back to China -Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji-, a new pair of bears is scheduled to arrive.
A pair of three-year-old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, have left a research center in the city of Dujiangyan in southwest China and will be flown to Washington, according to a statement from the Conservation Association of China’s Wildlife.
“The food prepared for the trip includes corn bread, bamboo and carrots, as well as water and medicine,” the statement detailed, warning that the bilateral collaboration will bring “new contributions to the protection of global biodiversity and will improve the friendship of the people of the two countries.”
It’s unclear exactly when the bears will arrive in Washington, but there will likely be an extended quarantine and acclimatization period before they are introduced to the public.
On Monday night, the zoo’s website posted an alert that all facilities would be closed on Tuesday, without giving a reason. The site’s main article still said the pandas would arrive sometime before the end of the year.
The agreement will be in force for a decade
Bao Li, which translates as Precious Vigor, and Qing Bao, Green Treasure, arrive in Washington as part of a new 10-year agreement with Chinese authorities.
The previous agreement expired last year, raising some concern among American panda lovers that Beijing was gradually withdrawing its furry ambassadors of friendship from American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions.
Breeding pairs at the Memphis and San Diego zoos had previously returned to China, and Zoo Atlanta’s four pandas left for China last week.
That anxiety turned to optimism last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly declared his desire to continue panda exchange programs. This year, a new pair of bears was delivered to the San Diego Zoo, while another pair was promised to San Francisco.
Renovated spaces
In Washington, National Zoo officials were conspicuously silent about negotiations for a new panda deal, but expressed optimism about getting there and, in advance, launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of its panda enclosure.
Then in late May, zoo director Brandie Smith teamed up with first lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would arrive later this year.
The Chinese announcement said the National Zoo had sent “three experienced keepers and veterinary experts” to the Asian nation to assist in transporting and accompanying the bears.
Zoo officials on Monday declined to confirm the Chinese announcement. Zoo spokeswoman Jennifer Zoon said in an email: “For the safety of the animals and staff, we cannot confirm any details at this time.”
But signs at the zoo and on its social media site have announced the pandas’ planned return, and panda-themed merchandise still dominates gift shops.
“Giant pandas are an iconic part of Washington, DC’s history, for locals and incoming travelers alike,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC.
“The interest and excitement associated with its return directly benefits the entire city, generating increased interest and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions,” he added.
Millionaire contract
The exact terms of the agreement are still unclear; Under previous 10-year agreements, the Chinese government receives $1 million a year per bear. Cubs born in foreign zoos are usually returned to China before they turn four years old.
Pandas have become one of the unofficial symbols of the nation’s capital, dating back to 1972, when the first pair, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, were sent as a gift by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai following the President Richard Nixon’s historic diplomatic visit to China.
Subsequently, a series of ten-year cooperation agreements were signed.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, attributed the decades of cooperation to advancing research on panda preservation and breeding.
Over the life of these agreements, giant pandas have been reclassified from endangered to simply vulnerable.
“The current round of cooperation will focus on the prevention and treatment of major diseases and the protection of wild giant panda habitats and populations,” Liu said in an email.
“We hope that the arrival of the pandas will inject new impetus into exchanges between China and the United States and also help stabilize the broader bilateral relationship,” he said.
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