Two four-year-old pandas made their debut Jan. 24 at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, marking the third pair since 1972. Crowds of visitors flocked to the zoo to celebrate the new arrivals.
The prior panda pair, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, returned to China in 2023 with their latest cub, Xiao Qi Ji, after a three-year extension agreement to accommodate the cub’s birth in 2020. The NZCBI announced on May 29, 2024 that the new set of pandas would be arriving at the end of 2024. The NZCBI also signed a “cooperative research and breeding agreement,” effective through 2034.
The NZCBI hosted a District of Panda Party from Jan. 24 to Feb. 9 to celebrate the public debut of the new giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao. The two-week festival featured special programs and musical performances.
The National Zoo said visitors could celebrate with “free and family-friendly entertainment,” including film screenings of Kung Fu Panda and cultural activities presented by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
During the District of Panda Party, visitors flocked to the zoo in high numbers on Feb. 1, which led to a two and a half hour wait time to get a glimpse of the new panda, according to those in line. Staff members started turning visitors away at around 2 p.m.
Elizabeth Tanner and Caroline Orzell, both freshmen in the College of Arts and Science, went to visit the pandas on Feb. 1, and when they were informed of the wait time, they decided not to stay. They said many other visitors left the line as well.
Tanner and Orzell said they plan on returning to the zoo at an earlier and less busy time.
“I know other people were waking up really early on Saturday, but we were thinking if we go, we would go sometime during the week,” Tanner said.
Izzy Bradbury, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, went to visit the zoo on Feb. 8 around opening time and got inside with no wait. She said the pandas “were very playful and active because [she] went earlier in the day.”
The Giant Panda Conservation Program is part of the zoo’s impact plan. Their goals include restoring habitats, ending the spread of deadly diseases, increasing population diversity and training scientists. Giant pandas used to be considered “endangered,” but in 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature downlisted them to “vulnerable.”
The male panda, Bao Li — whose name means active and vital power — was born on Aug. 4, 2021. The female panda, Qing Bao — whose name means green and treasure — was born on Sept. 12, 2021.
Bao Li and Qing Bao each have their own separate indoor and outdoor habitat that they can roam back and forth through. Several signs, pictures and videos are posted in the area for visitors to read and observe as they walk through the area.
The signs inform visitors that the giant pandas are from mountain forests in regions in south central China, such as the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, according to the website. The signs also mention that their black and white markings act as camouflage and that they communicate by scent-marking.
Bradbury said that the area will benefit from the pandas because of more tourist foot traffic.
“Those from within the DMV will definitely travel the way to come see the pandas,” Bradbury said.
This article was edited by Cara Halford, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Hannah Langenfeld.
