It’s been a long, terrible six months without the giant panda, Washington’s most famous symbol of soft diplomacy, but this unbearable (sorry) drought will soon be over.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced Wednesday that two new obscure diplomats are coming to the United States from China. The zoo said in a statement that giant pandas Baoli and Qingbao will fly over before the end of this year.
They are both just two years old – still young for a powerful couple in Washington – and their arrival is expected to come after two adult pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian (male Baoli) ‘s grandparents) left in November.
The panda exchange is a feature of a long-standing agreement between the Smithsonian and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. When the agreement for the three pandas to remain in the United States expired last year, panda fans and diplomats worried about tensions between China and Washington and whether those tensions would prevent the program from going ahead.
At a diplomatic summit in San Francisco in November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping hinted that the giant pandas, which he calls “envoys of friendship” between the two countries, might return to the United States. As it turns out, the two zoos hammered out another deal without the help of high-level diplomacy, which has no authority to speak publicly about such a sensitive issue, according to officials familiar with the deal. China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier this month that the San Diego Zoo will also receive a pair of giant pandas.
The agreement between Washington and Beijing is intended to help promote the breeding and care of the animals, with each panda’s birth closely watched and celebrated. If Washington’s past Bearcats are any indication, the two newbies will arrive on a special FedEx plane and will land with much fanfare.
The newlyweds have Washington roots: Bao Li’s mother, Bao Bao, was born in Washington. In 2015, Michelle Obama attended the naming ceremony of her younger brother, Bei Bei.
The loss is also mourned. Newborn giant panda cubs are about the size of a stick of butter, and they are extremely fragile—small, pink, and easily bruised by their human handlers or mothers. Since they are born with almost no hair, their body temperature must be constantly regulated. When they urinate or defecate, human helpers must ensure their fluid and nutrient levels are healthy.
Within these closely watched confines – there’s also a live panda camera, but you probably know that – Bao Bao is a success story and had become a celebrity by the time he was dispatched to China in 2017.
While Mei Xiang and Tian Tian lived in Washington, they gave birth to four cubs, all of which survived infancy. Their oldest cub, Taishan, was born in 2005 and sent to China in 2010. Mei Xiang gave birth to her youngest cub, Xiao Qi Ji, who was born during the epidemic when scientists believed she could no longer have children.
The Smithsonian said the terms of the latest agreement are similar to previous agreements. “Baoli” and “Celebration Bao” and any offspring they may have belong to China, and any pups born in Washington must be returned when they are 4 years old. A $25 million project fundraising campaign was launched to help increase the program’s budget.
