Two Chinese giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao embarked on their journey to the United States early on Tuesday morning from a breeding base in southwest China's Sichuan Province, starting their 10-year residency at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C..
Chinese and American experts will cooperate and join hands to ensure the well-being of the two giant pandas at the National Zoo.
Bao Li and Qing Bao departed from the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) and reached Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Monday evening. They then boarded a special plane headed for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. early on Tuesday morning.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association and CCRCGP held a farewell ceremony for the two giant pandas on Monday afternoon.
Bao Li, a male panda whose name translates into English as "treasure" and "energetic," was born in August 2021. Qing Bao, a female panda whose name means "green" and "treasure" in Chinese, was born a month later than Bao Li. The two giant pandas have lively personalities and enjoy climbing.
The CCRCGP has dispatched two keepers and a veterinarian to the National Zoo to assist the pandas in swiftly adapting to their new environment in the United States.
Furthermore, experts from both China and the United States have conducted various tasks to ensure a healthy life for Bao Li and Qing Bao at the National Zoo.
The Chinese experts have conducted multiple assessments in the United States regarding the living environment, breeding management, food security, and health care for the giant pandas.
Based on the suggestions of the Chinese experts, the National Zoo has upgraded the enclosure for the giant pandas, ensured a stable food supply of bamboo and bamboo shoots, established a professional breeding management team, formulated comprehensive breeding management systems and technical standards, reinforced regular health monitoring reports and on-site inspections, and enhanced the zoo by renovating facilities such as lawns and pools while adding additional climbing structures.
In early October, the National Zoo dispatched four keepers and veterinarians to China to take part in breeding management and disease prevention efforts for the two giant pandas.
Over the past 24 years of cooperation between China and the United States in giant panda conservation, both countries have achieved positive results in various fields concerning giant panda conservation, including breeding, disease treatment, technical exchanges, personnel training, and public awareness of wildlife protection. They have successfully bred and raised giant pandas Tai Shan, Bao Bao, Bei Bei, and Xiao Qi Ji.
The cooperation has played a positive role in enhancing the conservation capabilities of wild giant panda populations and has substantially promoted cultural exchanges between the people of the two countries.
China's panda pair hits road to US
China's panda pair hits road to US
