Giant pandas to debut at DC’s National Zoo Friday

Two giant pandas are set to make their highly anticipated debut to the public at the Smithsonian National Zoo in D.C. on Friday morning.

The pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, have been quarantined since they arrived in the U.S. from China in mid-October, giving the animals time to adjust to their newly renovated habitat.

Tickets to the National Zoo are free. For those who can’t say hello in person, the Giant Panda Cam is expected to relaunch Friday.

From now through Feb. 9, the zoo is celebrating the pandas’ return with events, including a screening of “Kung Fu Panda” in the Visitor Center Theater.

DC’s panda drought is over

The zoo’s previous beloved bears, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji, were returned to China in November 2023.

The new bears didn’t arrive until 11 months later, causing some fear in the interim that the partnership between the two countries to exchange the animals in the name of conservation was a thing of the past.

While the wait may have felt unbearable to some, panda-lovers rejoiced at the bears’ return to D.C. in October, cheering them on as their police-escorted motorcade drove into the National Zoo on Oct. 15, 2024.

Over the last several months, the zoo has been helping Bao Li and Qing Bao get used to the smells and sounds of crowds. Part of that has involved some zoo members visiting the panda enclosure, which was renovated in their absence.

They’ve been playing in the snow and enjoying lots of bamboo, zookeepers said.

Spot the difference? How to tell the new pandas apart

The black-and-white bears can look pretty similar at first glance, but the Smithsonian Magazine has some tips for telling the new pandas apart.

Off the bat, Bao Li, a 3-year-old boy, is bigger than Qing Bao.

But here are some other key markers the magazine pointed out:

• Qing Bao has two round, dark-colored birthmarks on her left backside
• Qing Bao has fluffier cheeks than Bao Li
• Bao Li’s eye patches are wider and have pointy tips that flare out more than Qing Bao
• The black band across Bao Li’s back is thicker and down his middle; Qing Bao’s is thinner and higher

Of course, their personalities are a bit different, too. According to the Smithsonian, Bao Li is “playful” and “attention-seeking,” but Qing Bao is more reserved and independent.

Bao Li has roots in D.C. He’s the son of Bao Bao, who was born at the D.C. zoo in 2013.

A lesson in panda history

The National Zoo became the first zoo in the U.S. to take part in what’s become known as “panda diplomacy” when a pair of pandas from China arrived at the zoo in 1972.

In the decades since, the Chinese government has lent pandas to zoos worldwide.

But, in recent years, China opted to not renew some of those agreements. Pandas from D.C. and San Diego were among those to fly back to China, with no plans for new bears to return in their place.

Ultimately, China agreed to send back new pandas to California, D.C. and Spain — squashing fears about threats to panda diplomacy.

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