The Smithsonian's National Zoo is gearing up to once again softly tread into panda mania. Officials have confirmed that by year's end, Washington, D.C., will be welcoming a new duo of giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao. The arrival is part of a 10-year breeding and conservation agreement with China, which aims to continue research and boost the giant panda population—a species now classified as "vulnerable" rather than endangered.
As reported by NBC Washington, the incoming pandas aren't strangers to the legacy of D.C.'s panda chronicles. The male, Bao Li, has family ties to the zoo's former panda royalty; he's the offspring of the previous inhabitant, Bao Bao. "This longstanding program, and this collaboration with our Chinese colleagues, is one of the reasons why giant pandas are no longer listed as endangered, but rather only vulnerable, on the global list of species at risk of extinction," National Zoo director Brandie Smith was quoted in a statement obtained by NBC Washington.
The new pandas fill the void left behind in November when D.C.’s dearly followed Panda family including Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, returned to China following the culmination of the zoo's loan agreement with the Chinese government. Since then, the zoo has been notably panda-less, leaving the city and panda enthusiasts in a lull, as recounted by Axios.
In step with the celebratory spirit the zoo is known for, a significant welcome event seems to be a bankable certainty. D.C. News Now highlighted the zoo director's excitement, "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, to Washington, D.C.," Smith told D.C. News Now. The new deal keeps pandas in the capital until at least April 2034 and mirrors the stipulations of the prior arrangement.
