China's giant pandas make public debut at US zoo

ATLANTA: Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang delighted visitors to Zoo Atlanta during their public debut on Friday, chewing bamboo and lounging in their new US habitat while on loan from China.

The male, named Ping Ping, and female Fu Shuang arrived from Chengdu in September aboard a FedEx flight dubbed the "Panda Express" and are to be hosted at the southern US facility for the next 10 years.

Pandas are "animals that have got a unique ability to inspire curiosity, instil passion, evoke joy, and unite people around the globe", chief executive Raymond King told onlookers at Zoo Atlanta.

"This extraordinary spirit of partnership helps create a future for a species that is truly beloved the world over."

In preparation for their arrival, Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers.

It has also ensured a stable, long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate very similar to Chengdu.

"I think they inspire happiness," zoo visitor Rachel Totts told AFP on Friday. "They make people smile. I've never seen someone not say 'Oh, it's so cute!' when they're looking at a panda."

Soft, furry power

Native to temperate forest habitats in East Asia, the lumbering black-and-white mammals do not typically travel long distances in the wild.

But many have been sent to zoos around the world as part of Beijing's decades-long "panda diplomacy" programme to foster foreign ties.

The furry show of "soft power" came as top US officials on Friday called on China to uphold the trade agreement reached at an October 2025 meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

[[nid:1572672]]

The accord calmed tensions after a whirlwind of tariff hikes and required China to buy US soybeans while suspending export controls on rare earths.

Before 2016, pandas were considered endangered but are now listed as "vulnerable" by wildlife advocates, with an estimated 1,800 living in the wild.

The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves for conservation, but the bears continue to face threats from habitat loss and poaching in the wild.

Panda pairs

Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China starting in 1999, and seven panda cubs have been born at the zoo. All are now back in Chengdu, and Zoo Atlanta has not had any pandas since 2024.

Atlanta native John Perez celebrated his 28th birthday at Zoo Atlanta on Friday, telling AFP that the pandas drew him to visit for the first time because "it felt perfect, you know?"

Both new arrivals were born in 2020, and it is hoped they will be suitable mates. Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years.

In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington following US President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the Communist nation.

Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year following a diplomatic spat that began when Japan's prime minister hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan.