The history of giant pandas at the Smithsonian Zoo
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Giant Pandas have called the Smithsonian Zoo their home for decades. But how did it all begin?
It first started back in February 1972 when First Lady Pat Nixon mentioned her love for giant pandas at a dinner in Beijing to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
Premier Zhou Enlai then decided to gift two giant pandas to the United States, choosing the Smithsonian National Zoo as their home.
In April 1972, the first giant pandas, Ling-Ling (a female) and Hsing-Hsing (a male) arrived at the Smithsonian. The pandas became a symbol of the cultural relationship between the United States and China.
Giant pandas leave for China Wednesday
The arrival of the zoo brought millions of people to the Smithsonian Zoo. It also gave the Smithsonian an opportunity to study the giant pandas.
In December 2000, two new giant pandas, Mei Xiang (female) and Tian Tian (male) came to live at the Zoo.
These two giant pandas, however, were loaned by China. In exchange for them, the Smithsonian Zoo contributes to conservation efforts in China. This agreement is called The Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement.
The zoo has renewed the agreement three times since 2000. The latest agreement was signed in Dec. 2020 and allows the giant pandas to live at the Zoo until December 2023.
Click here to read about the full history of the giant pandas at the zoo.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
