The Pandas are Back at the National Zoo

Image Courtesy of  NBC Washington

By Zachary Lichter

The return of a black-and-white, four-legged animal caused the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to close to the public on October 15 of this year.

Two three-year-old pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, are now adjusting to their new home in Washington, D.C. after spending the first three years of their lives in China. On October 13 of this year, the pandas left the China Wildlife and Conservation Center in Dujiangyan, China in a special vehicle to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. They then took the FedEx Panda Express plane, which is the same plane that flew the pandas that were living in the D.C. zoo back to China in December 2023, to Dulles International Airport.

Three of the pandas that left the National Zoo last year and their successors are related to each other. Bao Li, one of the pandas born in China, is the son of Bao Bao, a panda born in 2013 at the National Zoo. He is also the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, who also lived at the zoo before moving to China.

The zoo signed a new 10-year contract with the Chinese government with similar agreements to the last contract. Because of the contract, future panda cubs born from Bao Li and Qing Bao will be sent back to China once they turn four years old. Additionally, the National Zoo will also pay $1 million a year to the China Wildlife and Conservation Association in exchange for them to send pandas to the U.S.

Since the previous pandas left the National Zoo in December 2023, it had been panda-less for the first time since 1972. While the panda exhibit remained empty, the zoo has been renovating it by adding rock walls, indoor and outdoor spaces, and ponds. The exhibit is set to reopen on January 24, 2025.

Now that the pandas are back at the zoo, people are excited to visit again. Since the pandas left, the zoo has experienced a decline in visitors. Most people visit the National Zoo just to see the pandas.

Donna Phinney, a senior marketing major, commented about how she reacted to the pandas coming to the zoo.

“I was very excited!” Phinney said. “There aren’t many opportunities to see pandas in the U.S. so it’s always special to see them at the National Zoo.”

Sarah Mastoros, a senior history and secondary education major, commented about how the pandas will attract visitors again.

“I think more people will come to the zoo since the pandas are back,” Mastoros said. “A lot of people go to the zoo to see the pandas so I think that bringing them back will result in more people visiting the zoo.”

So people wait for January 24, 2025, anticipating the panda-monium coming on the horizon. Thousands of people will get excited to see the pandas back at the zoo. The number of visitors will increase as more people from across the country and the world come to the zoo to see the two four-legged, black-and-white animals roam around in their newly renovated space.