Excitement abounds as DC zoo awaits return of beloved pandas

Matt McCray, a visitor from Texas, was on his first trip to Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington when he heard the news that two new pandas will arrive at the zoo.

"I'll just have to make another trip because we'd be very excited to see them when they come back in December," McCray said.

He was one of many people in the United States pleased to hear the news that two pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, will arrive in the zoo later this year.

Antonio Paz, 7, said he likes pandas a lot because "they're comfy, fluffy". He said he was happy to hear new pandas would live in the zoo.

Deb, who was visiting from Virginia, said she was "very excited".

"We were sad when they (the pandas) left, and now we're excited that they're coming back," she said.

Giant pandas have been the zoo's most famous symbol for decades, but Washington has been panda-less since November.

Stephanie Brinley, deputy director of Smithsonian's National Zoo, said she is excited to be hosting the new pair of pandas.

"They look to be wonderful representatives of pandas, but more importantly, they have a tie to the history of this place," Brinley said.

Bao Li, the male panda, is the grand-cub of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, who lived in the zoo for more than 20 years, and the son of Bao Bao, who was born at the zoo.

"It's family coming home," Brinley said.

The zoo is preparing the enclosure so that "when the bears come here, they have an awesome experience, a best-in-class habitat", she said.

Upgrading 'everything'

Mike Beglinger, deputy director of planning and program management at Smithsonian's Office of Planning, Design and Construction, said they were redoing and upgrading "everything", including the faux rock, flooring, pool and fence.

"This is their home, and we're here to take care of them," Beglinger said. "So, we're going to do everything we can to make them as comfortable and happy as possible."

He said his team "had a couple of meetings just in regard to the construction and the approach of how things were being done" with their Chinese colleagues and they had already made some adjustments.

Mariel Lally, a giant panda keeper, will be the major caregiver to Bao Li and Qing Bao. She looked after Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and three of their cubs, Bao Bao, Bei Bei and Xiao Qi Ji. She has watched many videos of Bao Li and Qing Bao as part of her preparations.

"I just really can't wait to have pandas back at the zoo," she said. "It's definitely been a little bit of a tough transition without them over the past few months. So, hearing that they're coming back way sooner than I anticipated is just such great news."

Heather Harshbarger, a specialist with FedEx, said the company is honored to be the carrier for Bao Li and Qing Bao's upcoming journey to Washington.

James Steeil, a supervisory veterinarian at the zoo, could not contain his excitement.

"I'm super, super excited. It's a really big day today. It's a great new chapter in our giant panda program here," Steeil said.

He said he has worked with his Chinese counterparts for the past 10 years, and "my hope is that we can continue our cooperation and that we are going to continue the collaboration and continue to evaluate various areas of giant panda needs as they pertain to conservation, veterinary medicine, ecology and rewilding".