The giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang arrived in Atlanta this Sunday (the 27th) and opened a new phase of cooperation between Zoo Atlanta, in the United States, and China.
The duo left Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, China, and landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The animals traveled on a FedEx Boeing 777, nicknamed the “Panda Express,” and then proceeded to Zoo Atlanta.
The two pandas will stay in the United States for ten years, under a cooperation program for the conservation of the species.
Ping Ping was born on March 17, 2020. Fu Shuang was born on October 18 of the same year. Both came from the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.
In April, Zoo Atlanta announced a new international research and conservation agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA). At that time, the institution confirmed the animals’ names, but had not yet announced when they would arrive in the United States.
How to identify Ping Ping and Fu Shuang
Beyond the diplomatic story behind the journey, the two new residents of Atlanta have their own distinctive characteristics.
Ping Ping has a more robust build, large dark patches around the eyes, and an ease in climbing trees. Meanwhile, Fu Shuang has a small tuft of fur on the head, a more pronounced forehead, and is described as agile in foraging for food, according to Xinhua.
The South China Morning Post adds an interesting detail about the names: Ping Ping can be associated with “peace”, while Fu Shuang roughly corresponds to “double blessings”.
Local bamboo and larger facilities
Zoo Atlanta began preparing for the pandas’ arrival even before the trip.
Sam Rivera, the institution’s vice president of animal health, said the zoo worked with Chinese specialists to expand the facilities designated for the pair.
Additionally, Rivera said the team began collecting bamboo in the Atlanta region to ensure sufficient food for the new residents.
The operation also involved technical guidance from Chinese specialists in areas such as facilities, nutrition, veterinary care, and animal welfare.
Pandas Still Will Not Be Visible to the Public
Despite their arrival, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will not be visible to visitors immediately.
Now, the two are undergoing a period of quarantine and adaptation. For now, Zoo Atlanta has not announced a date for the public presentation of the duo.
Chinese professionals are also accompanying this initial stage in Atlanta to help with care and with the animals’ adaptation to the new environment.
Atlanta resumes a history begun in 1999
The arrival of Ping Ping and Fu Shuang rekindles an old relationship between Atlanta and the Chinese conservation program.
The previous partnership began in 1999 and ended in 2024, after 25 years. During that period, seven cubs were born in Atlanta, all descendants of Lun Lun and Yang Yang.
The zoo’s four last pandas kept in Atlanta returned to China in October 2024. As a result, Atlanta was without the species for almost two years.
Cooperation programs with China also produced cubs at other American zoos. In total, 17 were raised in the United States: six in San Diego, four in Washington, and seven in Atlanta, according to materials released in China about the new transfer.
From a Diplomatic Gift to Scientific Cooperation
The presence of pandas in the United States has accompanied, for decades, the relationship between Washington and Beijing.
In 1972, after the historic visit by then-President Richard Nixon to China, Beijing sent Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing to the United States.
At that time, pandas still functioned as diplomatic gifts. Later, the model changed. China stopped offering the animals permanently and began adopting long-term loans tied to research and conservation projects, a practice consolidated starting in the 1980s.
Therefore, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are not a definitive gift to the United States. They participate in a scientific cooperation program.
This type of initiative has become known as “panda diplomacy”: the animals hold a strong symbolic value in China’s international relations, while the agreements involve research and conservation of the species.
Also see: The First Lady of China exercises “soft power” over American audiences InfoMoney
Xi Anticipated the Arrival During Visit to the U.S.
The arrival of the pandas had already made headlines on Thursday (the 24th), when Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that Ping Ping and Fu Shuang would soon proceed to Atlanta.
Xi described the initiative as a gesture of friendship between the Chinese and the Americans.
The agreement with Zoo Atlanta, however, had existed since April. The Chinese president’s statement provided a more concrete public indication that the transfer would occur within days.
Read more: Xi Jinping is welcomed with a red carpet by Trump on his visit to the U.S.
The visit took place amid negotiations between China and the United States on trade, technology and other strategic topics. After the summit, the two countries announced a dialogue on artificial intelligence and a tariff reduction on US$ 30 billion in goods.
After almost two years without pandas, Atlanta is now once again receiving the species. This time, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will be the protagonists of a new stage of cooperation between the zoo and China.
(With information from Reuters, Associated Press, Zoo Atlanta, Xinhua, South China Morning Post, Deutsche Welle, and EFE)
