Pandas headed to National Zoo after arrival in US

Two giant pandas have successfully made it to the U.S. and will find their new home at the National Zoo in Washington.

Bao Li and Qing Bao will travel to the zoo from Virginia’s Washington Dulles International Airport, The Associated Press reported. The pandas’ arrival comes less than a year after three giant pandas left D.C. at the end of last year upon the expiration of a past agreement.

“Something *giant* is coming to Washington, D.C. via the @FedEx Panda Express!” the National Zoo wrote Monday in a post on social platform X. “The Zoo will be closed to the public tomorrow, Oct. 15. For the safety of the pandas and staff, we will not disclose any additional timing.”

CNN reported a day earlier that the pair of 3-year-old pandas had left a southwestern China giant panda research base late Monday local time. They were set to take a FedEx Boeing 777 cargo jet to Washington just hours later.

“We have prepared corn buns, bamboo shoots, carrots, water, and medicine to ensure the pandas’ needs are met during the flight,” a statement on the panda’s journey from the China Wildlife Conservation Association said, according to the outlet.

San Francisco and San Diego have also received new pandas from China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made an announcement at the beginning of the year during an anniversary celebration marking 45 years since the U.S. and China established diplomatic relations, that panda diplomacy would continue between the two countries before the end of 2024.

The panda exchange program began under an agreement brokered by former President Nixon in 1973 and has led to several of the popular animals being loaned to U.S. zoos for research purposes.

The Associated Press contributed.