Three-year-old pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are the first to arrive in the U.S. capital in 24 years. The pair, who departed from the China Panda Research Center in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Monday, will reside at the Washington National Zoo for 10 years.
The new pandas will be officially introduced to the public on January 24, 2025, after 30 days of quarantine to avoid spreading infectious diseases to other animals, followed by several more weeks to help them adapt to their new environment.
Male giant panda Bao Li prepares to make a trip from China's Sichuan province to the Washington National Zoo on Monday. Photo: China Forestry Administration.
"We hope the arrival of the pandas will inject new impetus into exchanges between China and the United States and help stabilize the overall bilateral relationship," Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said on Tuesday.
In a statement on its WeChat account on Monday, the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) said the exchange followed an international cooperation agreement signed in April to protect giant pandas.
Before departure, both pandas underwent a thorough health check to ensure they were fit for the flight. During the flight, they were fed bamboo shoots, carrots, and a type of steamed corn cake.
The arrival of Bao Li and Qing Bao signals a revival of panda diplomacy between the two countries, after the Washington zoo returned a trio of beloved bears — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji — to China last year after an exchange agreement expired.
This led to concerns about fewer pandas in American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions, but optimism grew last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to exchange programs.
Notably, the new panda, Bao Li, is a descendant of the zoo's beloved panda family. His mother, Bao Bao, was born at the facility in 2013, and his grandparents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, have lived at the zoo for more than 20 years.
More pandas are expected to arrive at zoos in San Francisco, Atlanta and Memphis in the coming months. In June, the San Diego Zoo welcomed five-year-old Yun Chuan and nearly four-year-old Xin Bao, marking the first arrival of new pandas in more than 20 years.
The first pair of pandas sent to the United States symbolized the improvement of Sino-US relations during US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972. Since then, the exchange program has resulted in successful breeding, conservation cooperation and enhanced relations between the two countries.
Bui Huy (according to SCMP, AP, Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ngoai-giao-gau-truc-tro-lai-hai-chu-gau-moi-tu-trung-quoc-den-washington-post317020.html
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