Adorable giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang touch down in America after being gifted by Xi Jinping
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By DARIYA KOZHASBAY
Published: | Updated:
Two giant pandas arrived in Atlanta on Sunday following US President Donald Trump's meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping.
Five-year-old female Fu Shuang and six-year-old male Ping Ping landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on September 27 on a special 'FedEx Panda Express' aircraft donated by FedEx, according to Zoo Atlanta.
'This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond,' said Raymond B King, President and CEO.
'We are elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and could not be more excited about sharing that joy with our Members, guests, city, and community in the coming weeks.'
The pandas were provided with water, fresh bamboo and an assortment of their favorite treats to tide them over during the 16-hour flight from Chengdu, China, according to FedEx.
The pandas were previously held at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where they have resided since their respective births in 2020.
To prepare for the highly anticipated guests, Zoo Atlanta has updated their panda habitat and made sure to stock it with locally grown Atlanta bamboo, which shares an almost identical climate with Chengdu, Al Jazeera reported.
'We've been preparing for Ping Ping and Fu Shuang's arrival,' Zoo Atlanta President of Conservation Gina Ferrie told Xinhua News Agency.
'We have added many enhancements to their habitat, including new day rooms that have much more room and very top-of-the-line zoological lighting and floors and other conditions to give them the best welfare.'
Fu Shuang (left) and Ping Ping (right) arrived in Atlanta after a 16-hour long charter flight on a designated 'FedEx Panda Express' aircraft
The pandas were transported via a FedEx Boeing 777 nicknamed the 'Panda Express'
China has been sending pandas to other countries as 'diplomatic gifts' since the Tang Dynasty
Zoo Atlanta received the two giant pandas after they arrived from Chengdu, and will continue to care for them
Xi Jingping referred to the pandas as an 'envoy of friendship' during last week's meeting with Donald Trump
The pandas are here as part of a collaborative Giant Panda Conservation effort between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a partnership which goes back more than two decades.
Zoo Atlanta's original giant panda agreement with China began in 1999, and ended in 2024, according to the zoo.
The arrival of Ping Ping and Fu Shuang has put an end to two long, panda-less years at Zoo Atlanta, and represent an amicable new frontier between the two countries.
At the White House dinner last Thursday, Xi Jinping referred to the pandas as an 'envoy of friendship,' according to CBS News.
China has a long-standing history of sending pandas to other nations as 'diplomatic gifts,' and can be traced back to as early as the Tang Dynasty.
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