Qing Bao, one of the Smithsonian National Zoo's new Giant Pandas, eats an apple on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. In November 2023, the National Zoo sent its three pandas — Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who had lived there since 2000, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, in advance of the expiration of their loan agreement and amidst rising tensions between the two countries.
A panda drought — that has been unbearable for some — is finally over.
Two Giant pandas are now available for public viewing in the nation's capital.
Bao Li and Qing Bao are out of quarantine and in the spotlight after a three month wait and 8,000 mile trip from China.
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WAMU
Students from the Yu Ying Public Charter School visit the Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Pandas after performing at the opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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WAMU
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, second from right, claps to the sounds of Crush Funk Brass Band during the opening ceremony celebrating the Smithsonian National Zoo's new Giant Pandas on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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WAMU
Students from the Yu Ying Public Charter School visit the Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Pandas after performing at the opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
They now stand — or clumsily climb or roll around — and are ready to make their public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Their return, after China recalled earlier furry ambassadors, marks a reboot of Panda diplomacy.
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WAMU
Bao Li, one of the Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Pandas, chomps on bamboo on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
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WAMU
Giant Panda supporters flood the Smithsonian's National Zoo to see the new pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
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WAMU
Giant Panda supporters flood the Smithsonian's National Zoo to see the new pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
For those who can't come to D.C., the panoply of panda antics is on digital display via the the Giant Panda Cam.
People were bamboozled by the roly-poly big-eyed cuteness — such clips have drawn in millions of viewers.
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WAMU
Scientists and volunteers observe panda behavior from inside the Smithsonian National Zoo's Panda House on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
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WAMU
Giant Panda supporters flood the Smithsonian's National Zoo to see new pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
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WAMU
Giant panda Bao Li traverses a snowy enclosure on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The pair arrived in Washington D.C. — aboard the fittingly nicknamed "Panda Express" — from China back in October. But, they could only occasionally be glimpsed until this week.
China has also loaned two other giant pandas to the U.S., both at the San Diego Zoo. As a gesture of goodwill, it seems panda appeal is pretty black and white.
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