Panda lover news: 2 more giant pandas are coming to the National Zoo in 2024

Claire Thornton, Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY
Updated ·6 min read

WASHINGTON − Pandas have been deeply missed at the Smithsonian National Zoo for the past six months. But on Wednesday morning, zoo visitors learned they have something big (and furry) to look forward to again.

The zoo said Wednesday that it's set to receive male panda Bao Li and female panda Qing Bao, both 2 years old, from China sometime in 2024.

The news comes after Mei Xiang and Tian Tian − who had been in the U.S. for 23 years − and Xiao Qi Ji, who was born in August 2020, returned to China in November following a bittersweet farewell in Washington.

Zoo staff put up new banners Wednesday letting visitors know, "the pandas are coming."

Flanked by stalks of bamboo on the zoo’s Asia Trail, local graduate student Summer Zhou said the environment felt ready for the panda’s return.

“I just feel like their spirit is still here,” she said. “They never left my heart.”

Families rolled strollers beneath the decorations as they walked through the zoo's entrance. Teresa Willibey, 30, was among them with her 4-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, visiting from Buffalo, New York.

“It’s exciting for my kids to get to see them so they can learn more about other animals,” said the former Washington resident.

The two new giant pandas will replace the trio that came before them beginning sometime before the end of 2024, said Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, in a social media video announcing the news.

"I'm thrilled to announce that within this year we'll once again welcome a new pair of giant pandas," Bunch said.

One of the new pandas is closely related to the pair that just left the zoo, officials said Wednesday.

PANDA MASCOT: The National Zoo pandas are gone. Among those hardest hit is 'Pantwon.'

Panda cub Xiao Qi Ji, 9 months, climbs a tree at the Smithsonian National Zoo on May 19, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Panda cub Xiao Qi Ji, 9 months, climbs a tree at the Smithsonian National Zoo on May 19, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Who are Bao Li and Qing Bao, the new pandas?

Bao Li is the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, the pandas who returned to China in November. Bao Li's mother is Bao Bao, the pair's second offspring, born in 2013 at the National Zoo.

Bao Li means "treasure" and "energetic" in Mandarin Chinese, according to the zoo.

Two-year-old male giant panda Bao Li sits in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China, May 16, 2024. Bao Li and Qing Bao will come to the Smithsonian National Zoo sometime in 2024, officials said.
Two-year-old male giant panda Bao Li sits in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China, May 16, 2024. Bao Li and Qing Bao will come to the Smithsonian National Zoo sometime in 2024, officials said.

Qing Bao means "green" and "treasure," the zoo said Wednesday in a statement.

Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao munches on bamboo in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China, on May 17, 2024. Together with Bao Li, she's coming to the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2024, officials said.
Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao munches on bamboo in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China, on May 17, 2024. Together with Bao Li, she's coming to the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2024, officials said.

The zoo also said a new 10-year research and breeding agreement has been signed with China.

A new banner at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington advertises the return of two new pandas from China, which are set to arrive sometime in 2024, officials said.
A new banner at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington advertises the return of two new pandas from China, which are set to arrive sometime in 2024, officials said.

How long have pandas been at the National Zoo?

The first panda came to the U.S. from China in 1972, and the fluffy animals have been a staple of Washington's Smithsonian National Zoo ever since.

The zoo's previous pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji returned to China last year after attempts to renew the Smithsonian's 3-year agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association failed.

Wednesday's announcement follows increased engagement between Washington and Beijing which has put ties on a steadier footing since relations hit historic lows last year.

China's ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said the new panda cooperation agreement was “a very good sign” for U.S.-China relations.

"To deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples, today I am very glad to share with you some good news," he said during remarks at the zoo.

Washington is not the only city that will soon be home to the pandas.

Zoos in California announced earlier this year they would also continue to benefit from the more than 50 years of diplomacy surrounding the giant pandas.

In February, the San Diego Zoo announced it will be getting a new pair of pandas, Xin Bao and Yun Chuan. In April, the San Francisco Zoo said it will host pandas again for the first time since 1985. Timelines for both zoos have not yet been announced.

The latest example of 'panda diplomacy'

In 1972, China gifted the first panda to the U.S. after President Richard Nixon formalized normal relations with China. Since then China has loaned pandas to other foreign zoos in hopes that it will build ties with those countries.

The practice has been dubbed "panda diplomacy."

Barbara Bodine, director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University and a former U.S. ambassador to Yemen with more than 30 years’ experience in U.S. foreign service, said the the bears are “probably the most successful soft diplomacy animals any nation has ever come up with."

Bodine doesn't think the panda moves reveal too much about the current relationship between the U.S. and China, which is certainly strained. But the attention does show how effective the bears are at generating a “warm, fuzzy feeling."

Bodine hopes the pandas are greeted with this optimistic spirit: “The children of America thank you, and the pandas are a wonderful representation of the Chinese people and their culture.”

News of pandas' arrival sparks excitement in Washington

Children, filled with excitement, shouted the names of their favorite animals as they ventured through the zoo's entrance on Wednesday morning.

“Can I see the panda?” one young visitor asked her parents.

Even though Willibey's family had already left the Washington area, they were still sad to see the black and white bears go last year.

“It worked out that we weren't affected too much, but we were bummed that it was happening in general,” she said.

Although her kids shouted in excitement about the pandas, Willibey expressed a note of concern. “I feel kind of mixed,” she said. “It's exciting that it's coming back… but at the same time, maybe it should be growing up where it's supposed to come from.”

To Eric Williams, a longtime Washington resident, and his 7-year-old daughter, the loss of the pandas deprived the zoo of one of its main attractions.

“It kind of took away from a big part of coming here,” Williams, 50, said as he shepherded his daughter and her first grade classmates past the otter exhibit. “My kids have always enjoyed seeing them.”

Williams isn’t a frequent zoo visitor, but he returned on Wednesday morning to accompany the class on a school field trip.

GRAPHICS Trace more than 50 years of panda diplomacy between the US, China

The kids also had the pandas on their minds. “Actually, on the ride here, they were asking about them,” Williams said. “Whether they were going to get the opportunity to see the pandas.”

Williams’ message about the return of the pandas – the more, the merrier.

“Probably need a little more,” he said. “I’d say minimum, five or six. Give everybody an opportunity to see them.”

Grad student Zhou said she can hardly wait for the pandas to return – the zoo just isn’t the same to her without them.

“It definitely feels like a missing component of the zoo,” said Zhou, a 25-year-old graduate student studying sustainability at American University in Washington's Tenleytown neighborhood, just north of the zoo.

Zhou, originally from Texas, traveled the short distance from her home with a fellow grad student on Wednesday morning to get up close with the animals.

Videos she captured of the pandas last summer are more than just a memento to Zhou – they’re a life lesson.

“When I watch them, I get relaxed too,” she said. “They’re like these big, fluffy animals who know how to enjoy life.”

Contributing: Julia Gomez, Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giant pandas in DC: Smithsonian National Zoo to get 2 more from China

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