Two giant pandas sent by China arrived in the United States on Sunday, Beijing and the Atlanta zoo said, after a leaders’ summit that was heavy on symbolism and light on major breakthroughs.
A male named Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered flight at around 3:00 am , Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. After a 16-hour flight that crossed the international date line, the bears touched down in the southern US city of Atlanta, Georgia shortly before 7:00 am local time. The bears’ transfer had already been agreed but the departure was announced Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington. Steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots and carrots were prepared to keep the pandas nourished during their flight, Chinese state-run Global Times reported.
The black-and-white mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China loans them out as part of a “panda diplomacy” program to foster foreign ties. The Boeing 777 operated by FedEx and nicknamed the “FedEx Panda Express” was the top-tracked aircraft on aviation information platform FlightRadar24 as it neared Alaska, roughly halfway into its journey.
Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China starting in 1999, and seven panda cubs have been born at the zoo. All are now back in Chengdu, and Zoo Atlanta has not had any pandas since 2024. Both of the new arrivals were born in 2020. Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years. In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington, following US president Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the Communist nation.
Experienced keepers were dispatched by the US side to accompany the duo on their flight, the Global Times reported.
The pandas will be hosted for the next 10 years by Zoo Atlanta, which said Sunday it was “elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang” to the city. “This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond,” zoo president Raymond King said in a statement. The bears are not yet visible to the public, and will be housed in a biosecure area of the animal park for a “routine quarantine of around a month,” the zoo stated.
A farewell ceremony was held for the pair by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding before their departure. In preparation for their arrival, Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers. It has also ensured a stable and long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate that is very similar to Chengdu. Ping Ping is now six years old while Fu Shuang turns six in October. Beijing has sent the furry creatures across the globe for decades as soft-power ambassadors. Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year, following a diplomatic spat that began when Japan’s prime minister hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan. tc-pfc/ami/mlm/ksb FEDEX This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
