Two giant pandas arrive in Atlanta for 10-year stay

A chartered cargo plane carrying a pair of Chinese giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, landed in Atlanta in the southeastern United States on Sunday morning. The two giant pandas are expected to stay at Zoo Atlanta for 10 years, according to an agreement between the zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

The two pandas, both born in 2020, departed Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan province at 2:55 am on Sunday, after a farewell ceremony held by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, according to a media release by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

During his just-concluded state visit to the US, President Xi Jinping announced that the two giant pandas would arrive at their new home in Zoo Atlanta in a few days.

The media release mentioned the thorough preparations that were undertaken for the giant panda duo's trans-Pacific journey and life in the US.

Two teams of Chinese veterinarians and keepers traveled to Zoo Atlanta in advance to make necessary preparations. They will stay at the zoo throughout the quarantine period to care for the pandas and help them adapt to their new surroundings through acclimation and behavioral training.

Ping Ping, a sturdy agile male, and Fu Shuang, a vivacious female, underwent transport acclimation training to help them deal with possible anxiety and stress during the long flight.

To ensure their safety and comfort during the flight, the Chinese team created a detailed transportation plan and arranged ample supplies of fresh bamboo shoots, bamboos, apples and emergency medications.

Senior veterinarians and keepers from the US accompanied the pandas on the flight, monitoring their health in real time and attending to their dietary and other needs throughout the journey, the release revealed.

Since December 2025, Chinese experts and Zoo Atlanta personnel have held multiple online and in-person meetings to discuss upgrades to the zoo's facilities to accommodate the two giant pandas.

Acting on guidance from Chinese experts regarding facilities and equipment, husbandry and management, and food supplies and healthcare, Zoo Atlanta carried out extensive renovations in its panda enclosure. Chinese experts conducted an on-site inspection and acceptance check of the upgraded facilities in mid-September.

The upgraded facilities boast a significantly larger indoor exhibit area, together with new features including climbing structures, rock platforms and a pool. The monitoring system of the zoo has also been upgraded so that it can provide more comprehensive real-time information on conditions inside and outside the enclosures.

With Atlanta's climate being similar to that of Chengdu, the zoo can source a variety of edible bamboo locally, harvested fresh all year round, to fully meet the needs of the two pandas.

Giant panda ties between China and the US date back decades. Following the visit of then US president Richard Nixon to China in February 1972, two giant pandas were sent to the US in April that year.

Zoo Atlanta previously hosted pandas from China for a quarter of a century starting in 1999, but it has not had any since 2024.

Chinese conservation institutions and Zoo Atlanta have long collaborated on panda conservation. Together, the two sides have carried out more than 30 research projects and published over 50 academic papers, achieving multiple technological breakthroughs in giant panda breeding and cub rearing, behavioral studies, and disease prevention and control.

Through their cooperation, the two sides have successfully bred seven pandas, representing a high level of achievement in international panda breeding cooperation.