China to Send Two Giant Pandas to Atlanta Zoo Under New 10-Year Conservation Deal

Two giant pandas that have never met are preparing to travel nearly 8,000 miles from Chengdu, China, to their new home in Atlanta. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will be sent to Atlanta as part of a new 10-year conservation agreement announced ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to China. The pair currently live in Chengdu, a city of over 20 million people in southwestern China.

Their travel date has not yet been announced. The pandas will eventually be moved to another panda base farther south before traveling to America. A photo of Fu Shuang in Chengdu, China, was taken in early May.

@NBCNews reported the details of their pending departure. While Ping Ping is an avid bamboo eater, Fu Shuang — whose name means “double happiness” — is playful but a bit timid. She also enjoys snacking on apples and resting her chin on her paw.

Zoo Atlanta stated it was “delighted” and “honored” to continue conservation and research efforts alongside the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Raymond B. ” The zoo housed a pair of pandas named Lun Lun and Yang Yang beginning in 1999.

Lun Lun and Yang Yang lived in Atlanta for 25 years and welcomed seven cubs while in Atlanta. They returned to China in 2024. China is the only country where giant pandas live in the wild. China keeps a firm handle on the international distribution of giant pandas and maintains ownership of them and any cubs they produce.

U.S. as a gesture of goodwill. In June 2024, two giant pandas were sent to San Diego. U.S. in more than two decades.