By love-89.com On October 14, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced that two pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, are set to arrive at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on the 15th, although it will be over a month before they are available for public viewing.
According to The Washington Post, the male panda Bao Li and the female panda Qing Bao will travel from Chengdu, China, aboard a FedEx Boeing 777 cargo plane nicknamed “Panda Express.” Tracking site FlightAware indicates they are expected to land at Washington Dulles International Airport at 9:55 AM on the 15th.
If everything goes smoothly, visitors to the National Zoo will have the opportunity to witness another panda pair grow from adolescence to adulthood, and there’s even a possibility of welcoming a new cub during their stay. However, the pandas will need to undergo a 30-day quarantine upon arrival to minimize the risk of introducing parasites or diseases, followed by an acclimation period to help them adjust to their new environment and caretakers.
The National Zoo has secured a ten-year lease for the pandas, which will cost them $1 million annually, concluding in April 2034. Amid concerns over the complex and tense relations between the U.S. and China, there were fears that the panda exchange program might come to an end. Last November, three pandas from the National Zoo—26-year-old Tian Tian, 25-year-old Mei Xiang, and a 3-year-old cub named Xiao Qi Ji—returned to China earlier than expected. Tian Tian and Mei Xiang’s three offspring “Tai Shan,” “Bao Bao,” and “Bei Bei” were all sent back to China after turning four; Bao Bao, born at the National Zoo in 2013, gave birth to Bao Li in 2021.
In an interview earlier this month, National Zoo Director Brandie Smith expressed her belief that pandas would return, even though she previously thought it might take several more years. With the arrival of Bao Li and Qing Bao occurring in less than a year, she remarked, “This demonstrates our exceptional team, science, and connections.”