Pandas en route to National Zoo after a year

Two new giant pandas are reportedly en route to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

“Something *giant* is coming to Washington, D.C. via the @FedEx Panda Express!” the zoo said in a post on social media platform X on Monday. “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 Monday that a pair of 3-year-old pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, had left a southwestern China giant panda research base late Monday local time. The giant bears were set to take a FedEx Boeing 777 cargo jet to D.C. 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 journey of the pandas from the China Wildlife Conservation Association said, according to CNN.

Washington-area TV station WUSA confirmed later Monday with the China Wildlife Conservation Association that by early Monday, the pandas were bound for D.C.

At the end of last year, the National Zoo’s three giant pandas left Washington, returning to China. They left upon the expiration of a previous agreement, but the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) announced in May that pandas from China would return later this year.

The panda exchange with China began under an agreement brokered by then-President Nixon in 1972, which led to several pandas being loaned to U.S. zoos for research purposes.

The Hill has reached out to the press office for the NZCBI.

Updated: 5:45 p.m.

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