‘Pandamonium’ as giant pandas from China make debut at DC’s National Zoo
‘Pandamonium’ as giant pandas from China make debut at DC’s National Zoo
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Three-year-old bears Qing Bao and Bao Li can be seen on the zoo’s ‘giant panda cam’ after arriving in US in October. Two new giant pandas made their public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington DC on Friday morning amid growing excitement about newcomers to the nation’s capital, quickly dubbed by some media outlets as “pandamonium”.
The three-year-old pandas, Qing Bao, whose name means “green treasure” in Mandarin, and Bao Li, whose name means “active and vital power”, arrived in the US from China last October, making them the first pandas to come to DC from China in 24 years, but have been in quarantine since.
They quickly captured the affection and hearts of the staff and volunteers, zoo officials said earlier this month. Bao Li already has a connection to the National Zoo. His mother was born there in 2013, and his grandparents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, lived at the zoo from 2000 to 2023.
The previous pair of pandas in DC were returned to China in November 2023 after a 10-year loan. The new pandas will stay in the US until April 2034. In a statement, Brandie Smith, the John and Adrienne Mars director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, said that giant pandas have been key to Washington DC’s culture for over 50 years.
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