Two giant pandas, a female named Qing Bao and a male named Bao Li from Chengdu, China, are debuting at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on Friday. This comes more than a year after the zoo said goodbye to its last giant pandas, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji, in November 2023. On a 10-year loan from China, the pair took the transpacific flight to Washington in mid-October last year and have since settled into their new home.
Bao Li (BOW-lee) is a 3-year-old male. His mother Bao Bao was born at the institute in 2013 and his grandparents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang lived at National Zoo from 2000 to 2023. Qing Bao (ching-BOW) is a 3-year-old female born to father Qing Qing and mother Jia Mei.
How do I get a ticket to see the pandas?
Entry into the National Zoo is free and no additional tickets are required to enter the panda habitat.
To commemorate Bao Li and Qing Bao’s debut, the zoo is hosting two weeks of celebrations and special events it has dubbed the “District of Panda Party.”…