One of the oldest zoos in the United States that is also home to a family of pandas says it hopes to have giant pandas for "many more decades" after an agreement was sealed on Monday for the star attractions to stay in Washington until 2023.
By then, the pandas－a couple aged over 20 and their 4-month-old cub－are due to return to China.
The extension agreement, signed between the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington and the Conservation Biology Institute and China Wildlife and Conservation Association, means Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the giant panda pair, will stay at the zoo for a further three years after a deal expired on Monday, according to a statement from the zoo.
Staying along with them will be their baby, which was born at the zoo on Aug 21 and named Xiao Qi Ji ("Little Miracle") by thousands of people who voted for the name two weeks ago.
"Along with millions of Americans, I look forward to the next three years, watching Xiao Qi Ji grow and making further strides in conservation and in our understanding of giant pandas," National Zoo Director Steve Monfort said on Monday.
It was the third time in a decade that the stay of giant pandas has been extended at the zoo.
The extension agreement, signed between the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington and the Conservation Biology Institute and China Wildlife and Conservation Association, means Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the giant panda pair, will stay at the zoo for a further three years after a deal expired on Monday, according to a statement from the zoo
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The Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement was first signed in 2000 for Mei Xiang and Tian Tian to stay at the zoo for a designated 10 years.
When the 10-year loan expired in 2010, the National Zoo and the Chinese officials renewed the agreement twice, each for a five-year extension until Dec 7.
In an interview with China Daily late last month, Monfort said that despite the pandemic, talks were proceeding with China for the bears to continue to stay in the US when the latest agreement expired.
"It is our hope that we will have these pandas for just a few more years," he said at the time.
"And then in the future, after they go to China, in the long run, we'd very much like to keep this relationship going, and maybe that means another agreement with a different set of pandas."
Pamela Baker-Masson, associate director of communications and exhibits at the zoo, also said that the National Zoo wants to continue working with China for a very long time.
Historic bond
"It's our intent to have giant pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo for many more decades," Baker-Masson said.
"We are extremely happy about this extension, and when it comes time to think beyond 2023, there will be discussions again about how we can work together on giant panda conservation, research and breeding."
The National Zoo has collaborated with China to study, care for and save the giant panda for nearly half a century.
The zoo's first giant panda couple, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, arrived in April 1972, weeks after then-US president Richard Nixon's historic China visit.
Much of what the zoo's animal care staff and scientists know about giant panda biology, behavior and reproduction－knowledge shared with other institutions caring for and breeding this vulnerable species－is a result of caring for and studying Mei Xiang and Tian Tian over two decades, the zoo said in a statement.
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The National Zoo got a US$3 million donation from David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group.
In total, Rubenstein has donated US$12 million in support of the zoo's giant panda conservation program. The home to the bears at the zoo has been named the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.
"Giant pandas are an incredible species that still need our help," Rubenstein said. "Supporting the zoo's giant panda conservation program is very rewarding."
The donation will support conservation efforts in China, including research on restoring giant panda habitats, monitoring wildlife diseases, assessing the impact of climate change and supporting more conservation capacity-building programs, according to the zoo's statement.
