A Giant (Panda) Goodbye

In early November, a flight took off from Virginia, carrying three VIPs—very important pandas! 

The beloved bears were returning home to a nature reserve in China after living at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, both adult giant pandas, had been on loan to the zoo since 2000. Their 3-year-old cub, Xiao Qi Ji, was born there. 

Giant pandas are endemic to China. That means they don’t live in the wild anywhere else. For decades, the Asian nation has engaged in “panda diplomacy”—lending giant pandas to zoos in other countries to build goodwill. In return, the zoos have paid rental fees and performed research to protect the once-endangered species. 

The Smithsonian received its first pair of pandas in 1972. Now Zoo Atlanta in Georgia has the only pandas left in the United States. They are due to return to China this year. 

For their flight home, the Smithsonian’s trio traveled aboard a plane nicknamed the “FedEx Panda Express.” During the 19-hour trip, the pandas munched on apples, carrots, and their favorite food—bamboo.