According to the China Wildlife Conservation Association on May 29th, the association has reached an agreement and signed an agreement with the Washington National Zoo (Washington Smithsonian Institution National Zoo) on a new round of international research cooperation for the protection of giant pandas.
According to the agreement, a pair of giant pandas named "Bao Li" (male, born in August 2021) and "Qing Bao" (female, born in September 2021) from the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center will go to the United States at the end of this year to start a new round of giant panda conservation and research cooperation.
This pair of giant pandas is set to stay in the United States for 10 years.
Bao li, male, born on August 4, 2021 at the Wolong Shenshuping Base of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center. His mother is Panda Bao Bao, twin brother is Panda Bao Yuan, and his sister is Dun Dun. It likes to play around with its mother and is quite active. Bao Li's mother is Bao Bao born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Her maternal grandparents are Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who have been living at the National Zoo for more than 20 years. Therefore, Bao Li and Washington National Zoo have a fateful connection.
Qing Bao, female, born in September 2021, is from Dujiangyan Irrigation Project Panda Base in Sichuan Province, and is the spokesperson of the ninth "World Wildlife Day" for giant pandas. "Qing Bao" takes the word "Qing Qing" from its father, the giant panda, and also means "green mountains and clear waters". In Chinese, "green mountains and clear waters" are hot words on the Internet which means precious natural resources that require the collective protection of humanity.
To ensure the healthy living of two giant pandas in the United States, Chinese experts conducted three visits to the United States in the first half of 2024 for venue renovation guidance and technical consultations, reviewing whether the facilities, breeding management, food security, health care, and other aspects of the giant panda venue meet the standard requirements.
On November 8, 2023, giant pandas "Tian Tian", "Mei Xiang" and their cubs "Xiao Qiji" took off from Washington to Chengdu, Sichuan. "Mei Xiang" and "Tian Tian" have been in the United States for 23 years, during which they gave birth to four cubs. After "Tai Shan", "Bao Bao" and "Bei Bei" returned home, "Xiao Qiji" born on August 21, 2020 returned to their hometown - Chengdu together with their parents "Mei Xiang" and "Tian Tian".
This cooperation agreement on giant pandas between China and the United States is the second successful signing of a panda rental agreement between China and the United States, following the agreement reached between the San Diego Zoo and the Chengdu Panda Base this year. We hope that the Washington Zoo will continue to take good care of the new panda couple and continue good cooperation, exchange, and friendship between China and the United States.