Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Giant pandas are returning to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., six months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its furry friends. The new mammals are expected to arrive later this year as a gift from the Chinese government, it was announced Wednesday. The new pair are named are Bao Li (pronounced BOW’-lee), a male, and Qing Bao (ching-BOW’), a female. Both are two years old. “We’re thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family,” said the zoo’s director, Brandie Smith. That’s a reference to Bao Li, who’s the son of Bao Bao, a female giant panda who was born at the zoo in 2013, and the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian—the panda couple who departed the Washington zoo last year. The number of pandas in American zoos has shrunk dramatically in recent years, with loan agreements lapsing as tensions between the U.S. and China have remained high amid strained economic relations, jockeying over technology, trade wars, Taiwan policy, and more. “I am filled with such joy right now,” said Brandie Smith, the zoo’s director, to the Washington Post. “It’s hard to express it.”
