Panda fans excited for possibility of return of giant pandas to National Zoo
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Cue the panda-monium! Giant pandas are headed back to the U.S. by the end of the summer.
China will be sending two pandas to the San Diego Zoo and a lot of people are hoping that it means D.C. could be next on the list.
It was a big deal when the three pandas left the Smithsonian National Zoo in November. Some people were crying as they watched the pandas being taken away.
The history of giant pandas at the Smithsonian Zoo
The China Wildlife Conservation Association didn’t renew its loan agreement but it seems now panda diplomacy is back.
“I took for granted that they were always here and we enjoyed it and it was a great thing to do when company came, that was the first thing on their list,” said Paula Binder.
Giant pandas have been a part of the fabric of D.C. since 1972.
“Pandas are an icon of the city,” Addison Gwinner said.
But in November, the zoo’s biggest attraction was taken back to China.
“It was sad. I couldn’t even go to the finale. I was a little too emotional,” Gwinner said. “Growing up I would go all the time, see ’em, so it’d be nice to have them back.”
For the first time in more than two decades, China is sending new pandas first to the San Diego Zoo, which lost its two pandas in 2019.
Pandas from the National Zoo sent back to China, as U.S-China face diplomatic tensions
“Everyone’s jumping. We’re trying to get things ready. We’re preparing the enclosures. We’re working on our protocols for care and health,” said Ron Swaisgood, director of Recovery Ecology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
This has D.C. locals excited.
“It’s a great attraction, for sure and you can see the zoo, people come to the zoo for the pandas most of the time,” said Ali Al Wahti.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association said Thursday it’s in talks with zoos in D.C. and Vienna. It also signed agreements with the zoo in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
“I would love it. We just miss them. We’d go all the time, just walk right through, watch them frolicking down the hill,” Binder said.
National Zoo’s giant pandas land safely in China
Dr. Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, said the Zoo is in discussions to develop a giant panda program.
“It’s always been our intention and hope to have giant pandas at the Zoo in the future and continue our research here and conservation work in China,” Smith said. “After 52 years of success, we remain committed to giant panda conservation.”
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