Washington, D.C.’s newest pandas – Bao Li and Qing Bao – will officially be introduced to the public at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Friday.
Visitors will be able to see Bao Li and Qing Bao at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat, the large complex at the zoo that derives its name from Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein and his family, where the bears have been settling in since arriving in the nation’s capital from China last year.
Rubenstein, worth $4.1 billion by Forbes’ measure, has long been a backer of the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s (NZCBI) giant panda conservation program.
Under the program, Smithsonian scientists “work to unravel the mysteries of panda biology and behavior, gaining crucial insights into their nutritional needs, reproductive habits and genetic diversity,” according to the NZCBI…