The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has bid farewell to its three giant pandas, marking the end of a more than 50-year program of Chinese pandas being housed at the zoo. The pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, began their journey back to China on November 8, 2023.
The pandas' departure coincides with worsening U.S.-China relations. China has been known to use pandas for its major political and diplomatic needs, especially in places where it hopes to gain more influence or closer relations. The departure of the pandas leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other U.S. zoo to feature pandas from China, with their contracts expiring next year.
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived at the zoo in 2000 as part of an agreement with the China Wildlife and Conservation Association. The agreement was extended several times and was set to expire on December 7, 2023. Mei Xiang has given birth to seven cubs during her time in D.C., three of whom died before adulthood and three who have already been returned to China.
The pandas were transported in specially designed crates via FedEx trucks to Dulles International Airport, from where they were flown to Chengdu, China. Their flight took 19 hours to reach the Wolong Panda Reserve in Chengdu.
Negotiations to extend the agreement have not been successful, amid speculation that Beijing is pulling its pandas from Western nations due to deteriorating diplomatic relations. However, zoo officials are confident that pandas will return to D.C. after a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the indoor panda habitat.