Meet Bao Li and Qing Bao, the two new giant pandas of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Nearly a year ago, the two resident giant pandas and their cub at the National Zoo were sent back to China. Meet their replacements that have just arrived.
The director of the National Zoo in Washington DC, Brandie Smith, announced in May that “we are welcoming Giant Pandas back to our nation’s capital.” Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, born in 2020, had been sent back to China the previous November leaving the zoo without any resident pandas.
The two adults had been on loan since 2000 with their original 10-year stay extended several times and cubs are sent to China when they reach four as part of the international breeding program to save the species.
The absence gave crews at the National Zoo time to refurbish the building and outdoor space of the panda exhibit. Likewise, the Giant Panda Cam, which has had over 100 million page views since its launch in 2000, got an upgrade according to the zoo.
All the work was done in preparation for the arrival of Bao Li and Qing Bao, the first new pandas in 24 years to be sent to the United States as part of China’s ‘panda diplomacy’. That was begun in 1972 after Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit the Communist nation.
Before the public can see them they will first have to adapt to their new environs. First, they will be quarantined in the panda house for at least 30 days. And then the new giant pandas will be given a few more weeks to settle in before they have their public debut. While no date has been announced, it is expected that the two new pandas could be wowing crowds as soon as December.
Meet Bao Li and Qing Bao, the two new giant pandas of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Both of the three-year-old pandas were born at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Sichuan. The female Qing Bao, whose name means “green” and “treasure” in Mandarin Chinese, was raised at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan.
The male Bao Li, whose name means “treasure” and “energetic” in Mandarin Chinese, was raised at the Shenshuping Base in Wolong. He is a little more than a month older than his soon-to-be partner. Through his family, he has connections with the National Zoo.
His grandparents were the two adult giant pandas that were returned to China in November after spending 23 years in the nation’s capital. Bao Bao, his mother was born at the National Zoo in 2013.
As is the policy with the panda loan program for any cubs born abroad, she was sent to China in 2017 when she was four years old. Bao Li and Qing Bao for their part will be on loan to the National Zoo through April 2034. Typically, the ten-year term gets extended though.