Photo : AP
Washington's newest residents, giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao, are settling into their new environment at the zoo. However, they will remain off-limits to the public until early next year when the zoo officially unveils its newly renovated panda house.
Before making their public debut, the pandas will undergo several weeks of quarantine and medical examinations to help them acclimate to their surroundings. To assist in their transition, a team of caretakers and panda experts is on hand, including a keeper and a veterinarian from China who will be staying in Washington for about a month.
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The zoo has set January 24, 2025, as the date for the pandas’ public debut, followed by a celebratory event from January 29 to February 9. Members of the zoo will have the opportunity to reserve tickets for a preview from January 10 to January 19.
As for their initial interactions, Bao Li and Qing Bao are being kept separate, which is typical behavior for adult pandas in the wild. The three-year-old bears only met for the first time during their transport from China, and their enclosure is designed to allow them to live independently. In the wild, adult pandas lead solitary lives and only come together for a short period during mating season, which lasts about 48 hours each year when the female is receptive.
Pandas primarily consume bamboo, which constitutes the bulk of their diet, alongside various fruits and vegetables. The zoo sources its bamboo from its partner facility, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, as well as from around 15 bamboo stands in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Unfortunately, private individuals cannot donate bamboo to the zoo.
Both Bao Li and Qing Bao are currently three years old and are around two years away from reaching sexual maturity. While they were selected for their genetic compatibility, pandas are notoriously selective when it comes to mating. The zoo's veterinary team has experience in artificial insemination, a method successfully used to produce the panda cub Xiao Qi Ji in 2020.
In terms of lineage, Bao Li comes from a notable background, as both his parents and grandparents were previous residents at the zoo. His grandparents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, returned to China last year along with his uncle Xiao Qi Ji. Bao Li's mother, Bao Bao, was born at the zoo in 2013 and later sent to China in 2017 as part of the zoo’s agreement with the Chinese government. Bao Bao gave birth to Bao Li and his twin brother, Bao Yuan, in August 2021.
For panda enthusiasts eager to keep tabs on the bears, the zoo plans to restart its popular Panda Cam on January 24, featuring 40 cameras that will track the pandas’ movements. The live stream will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with overnight rebroadcasts of the day’s footage. The zoo has enhanced its electronic infrastructure to accommodate the expected surge of online viewers, recalling how the server was overwhelmed when Xiao Qi Ji was born live in 2020. Brandie Smith, the zoo's director, indicated that they considered launching the cam earlier but ultimately decided to give the pandas and their keepers more time to bond away from public scrutiny.
As for the zoo's ongoing relationship with China, it has signed a 10-year cooperation agreement, under which it pays $500,000 annually per bear. Additionally, any cubs born at the zoo will incur extra fees and will be sent back to China to participate in panda conservation and breeding programs before they reach the age of four.
The zoo has been busy renovating the panda exhibit over the past 11 months, following the return of its previous residents, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji, last November. While the outdoor enclosure remains largely unchanged, featuring new fences and a wooden climbing structure, significant updates have been made indoors with a multi-million dollar upgrade, initiated even before the latest agreement was established to bring giant pandas back to Washington, D.C.
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