The Panda Express has landed! A specially outfitted FedEx plane landed Tuesday morning at Dulles International Airport with some VIP passengers: a pair of 3-year-old pandas who will take up residence at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Bao Li and Qing Bao were born in China. Although the surroundings will be new for both of them, Bao Li's D.C. roots go deep: He's a third-generation Washingtonian!
His grandparents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, lived at the National Zoo for nearly a quarter-century and welcomed the zoo's first-ever surviving panda cubs. The first, Tai Shan, arrived in 2005, but years went by before another was born, and that cub lived for just a week.
The following year, in 2013, a squirming newborn arrived, along with a stillborn twin. But as D.C. held its collective breath, the living cub thrived.
At 100 days old, she was named Bao Bao, and she provided plenty of adorable entertainment for panda fans.
She squawked loudly during vet exams captured on video. (Make sure your volume is up for this one.)
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She tumbled (safely — whew!) down a pile of rocks, with her nervous mom hurrying to check on her after the spill.
And she even prolonged the excitement when the National Zoo's webcam went dark during a government shutdown. When the cams went live again, she had a new surprise: Her eyes had opened.
Maybe it was just us, but Bao Bao always seemed to know when to drum up some attention. She was the source of some adorable headlines. (Case in point: Mei Xiang Cuddles Cub Rather Than Snacking.)
There was a paternity drama — was her biological father the zoo's own Tian Tian, or another male panda whose sperm was also used in a fertility attempt? (Verdict: Tian Tian IS the father.)
And just before Christmas 2014, Bao Bao spent 24 hours in a tree, diverting focus from holiday celebrations before she finally climbed down.
But after becoming a big sister, Bao Bao was ready to strike out on her own.
She moved to China in 2017 and became a mom, including to a set of twins born there in 2021. One of those twins was Bao Li. Now, he's made the journey for himself.
However, the public will have to wait a bit longer to visit the zoo's newest residents.
Bao Li and Qing Bao are expected to be quarantined for at least 30 days, and they'll also need time to get settled in and acclimated to their new surroundings before the panda exhibit reopens to the public. There's no exact date set yet for that.
