Two giant pandas from China arrived at Zoo Atlanta on Sunday, beginning a new chapter for the zoo’s decades-long panda program just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted their arrival during a state visit to Washington.
Male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport aboard a dedicated FedEx Boeing 777 dubbed the “Panda Express.” FedEx donated the transportation, according to Zoo Atlanta. The pandas will not immediately be available for public viewing as they begin a quarantine period of about a month.
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The arrival restores giant pandas to Atlanta nearly two years after the zoo’s previous pandas returned to China and makes Zoo Atlanta one of only three U.S. zoos currently home to the species. It also renews a conservation partnership with China that stretches back more than 25 years while adding another chapter to the country’s long-running use of panda loans as a symbol of international cooperation.
“This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement. “We are elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and could not be more excited about sharing that joy with our Members, guests, city, and community in the coming weeks.”
The pandas arrived under a new International Cooperative Research Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The agreement was announced in April, though officials at the time did not say when the animals would arrive.
Xi announced during his visit to Washington last week that the pandas would soon be heading to Atlanta. Speaking during his state visit with President Donald Trump, Xi described the animals as an “envoy of friendship” between the Chinese and American people.
Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are expected to remain at Zoo Atlanta for 10 years under the agreement. Both were born in 2020 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Ping Ping was born March 17, while Fu Shuang was born Oct. 18.
Ping Ping’s name comes from a name given to him and his twin brother at birth and represents a blessing for a smooth and healthy life. Fu Shuang’s name is derived from “Fu Lu,” a reference to her and her mother meaning “happiness,” according to Zoo Atlanta.
Visitors will have to wait before getting their first look at the new arrivals. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will spend about a month in a biosecure area of the zoo’s new giant panda complex as part of a routine quarantine. Zoo officials have not announced a date for their public debut.
Zoo Atlanta said its conservation work with Chinese partners has supported habitat restoration, nature reserve management and ranger programs. Giant pandas, once classified as endangered, have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2016.