Giant Pandas “Baoli” and “Qingbao” Depart for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

On the evening of October 14, 2024, giant pandas “Baoli” and “Qingbao” left the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center’s Dujiangyan base by special vehicle and headed to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. They are set to board a chartered flight on the 15th to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., beginning a 10-year stay in the United States.

“Baoli,” a male panda, was born in August 2021, while “Qingbao,” a female panda, was born in September 2021. Both pandas are lively and enjoy climbing.

Giant Pandas Baoli And Qingbao Depart For The National Zoo In Washington, D.c. 1

To ensure that the two pandas live healthily and happily at the National Zoo, Chinese experts have repeatedly visited the U.S. to assess the pandas’ living environment, husbandry management, food supply, and health care. Currently, the National Zoo has renovated and upgraded the pandas’ living quarters based on the recommendations of the Chinese experts. They have further ensured the availability of food sources such as bamboo and bamboo shoots, established a professional husbandry management team, and developed comprehensive husbandry management systems and technical specifications. They have also strengthened mechanisms for regular health monitoring reports and on-site inspection assessments.

In addition to updating facilities like lawns and pools, the renovated zoo has added more climbing structures.

Giant Pandas Baoli And Qingbao Depart For The National Zoo In Washington, D.c. 2

Earlier this month, the National Zoo sent four keepers and veterinarians to China to participate in the care and disease prevention of the two pandas. The China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center dispatched two keepers and a veterinarian to accompany the pandas at the National Zoo, helping them adapt to their new environment as quickly as possible.

Over the past 24 years of collaboration on panda conservation with the National Zoo, both China and the U.S. have achieved fruitful results in areas such as breeding, disease treatment, technical exchanges, personnel training, and public education. They have successfully bred and raised pandas “Taishan,” “Bao Bao,” “Bei Bei,” and “Xiao Qiji,” significantly enhancing the conservation capacity of wild panda populations and promoting cultural exchanges between the people of China and the United States.