The black and white duo are the first pandas China has sent to Washington in 24 years.
to Washington's National Zoo, kicking off a much-awaited return of the beloved bears to the American capital.
Over the past 11 months, the zoo's panda exhibit, which used to draw millions of visitors, has been left empty. Now, having just completed a million-dollar revamp, it's counting down the hours to welcome the new tenants. Staff members waved photos of the two bears and banners as the trucks drove by, chanting slogans wishing them a safe journey.
The two pandas are loaned to the Smithsonian's National Zoo for 10 years, with an annual fee of $1 million to support conservation efforts back in China. Lally spent the past 10 days at the Dujiangyan base getting to know the two pandas and working with their Chinese keepers for the transfer. Two more colleagues - a vet and another keeper - arrived from Washington last week to join the training.
Ren also noticed a big difference in their appetite: Bao Li, who loves bamboo shoots, can eat twice as much bamboo as Qing Bao, who counts carrots and apples as her favorite food. The crates are built in a way that allows the keepers to pass bamboo, bamboo shoots, fruits and fresh water to the bears on the flight.'A new chapter'
Weeks later, a pair of pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, arrived at the National Zoo in Washington. "I think pandamonium is going to break out right here at the zoo," Pat Nixon quipped at the welcome ceremony. It also stoked fears that the US might soon be without pandas. San Diego and Memphis had already returned their bears to China in recent years, and the only four remaining in Atlanta are scheduled to depart this year.
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