Giant pandas, which enthralled Washington residents for nearly half a century, could make a return to the National Zoo, officials indicated Thursday after the San Diego Zoo announced its own deal to bring pandas back to its facility.
National Zoo director Brandie Smith said in a statement Thursday that zoo officials are “in discussions with our Chinese partner, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, to develop a future giant panda program.”
“It’s always been our intention and hope to have giant pandas at the Zoo in the future and continue our research here and conservation work in China,” Smith said.
Earlier in the day, San Diego Zoo officials said they had signed an agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association and filed permits with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bring back giant pandas.
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If approved, China would send a male and a female giant panda to San Diego by the end of the summer, the Associated Press reported. The last time San Diego had giant pandas was in 2019, before 27-year-old Bai Yun and her 6-year-old son, Xiao Liwu, were returned to China after a loan.
China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos as part of a program often labeled “panda diplomacy.” The departure of pandas from U.S. zoos in recent years was seen by some as an ominous sign of deteriorating relations between the American and Chinese governments.
But on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed at a news conference that an agreement was signed with the San Diego Zoo and talks are ongoing with the National Zoo to continue the panda exchanges.
The National Zoo had a trio of giant pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their son, Xiao Qi Ji — until they departed for China on Nov. 8. The panda compound in Northwest Washington had been a popular symbol for the city and a staple of its tourism industry as the cast of pandas rotated uninterrupted for decades.
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Mei Xiang, a 25-year-old female, and Tian Tian, a 26-year-old male, came to Washington in 2000. In 2020, when Mei Xiang, who was 22 at the time, gave birth to Xiao Qi Ji, she became the oldest giant panda to give birth in the United States. Pandas in captivity can live up to 30 years.
While zoo officials have consistently said they wished to continue their giant panda programs, there was no official word of conversations to bring them back until now. It’s unclear how many pandas could return to Washington or when they might arrive.
“After 52 years of success, we remain committed to giant panda conservation,” Smith said Thursday.
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