Giant panda pair departs for Atlanta Zoo for 10-year stay

Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang have departed from Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu on a chartered flight bound for Zoo Atlanta in the United States.

They departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at 2:55 am on Sunday, according to Chinese authorities.

The move came after the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) signed an agreement on international cooperation in giant panda protection with Zoo Atlanta last year.

Under the agreement, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang, from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan, will embark on a 10-year protection cooperation program in the US.

To create a more comfortable and safer living environment for the two pandas, the US side carried out venue renovations and upgrades with technical assistance from Chinese experts.