(Frome left) Xiao Qi Ji, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Three giant pandas at the National Zoo in Washington, DC — a pair that came to the United States 23 years ago and their 3-year-old son — headed to China on Wednesday, an emotional moment for millions of fans who have usually cited the bears as their reason for visiting the zoo.
At noon on Wednesday, as the crate containing Xiao Qi Ji ("Little Miracle" in English) was about to be loaded onto a FedEx plane at Washington Dulles International Airport, the junior panda seemed, to awestruck fans, to be waving his paws at the window.
Three zoo employees, including assistant curator of giant pandas Laurie Thompson and a supervisory veterinary medical officer, traveled with the trio, along with a bonanza of the pandas' favorite foods, including: about 220 pounds of bamboo, eight pounds of leaf-eater biscuits, six pounds of apples and a pound of cooked squash.
After a 21-hour journey aboard the "Giant Panda Express", including a brief refueling stop in Alaska, Xiao Qi Ji and his parents, Mei Xiang, who is 25 years old, and Tian Tian, 26, have arrived in Chengdu and been greeted by keepers from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
They were to be driven to Shenshuping Base in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Southwest China's Sichuan province, where they will remain in quarantine for approximately 30 days.
For zoo visitors from the US capital and beyond, saying goodbye to the pandas was not easy.
An airplane transporting giant pandas is seen at the Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, the United States, on Nov 8, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
One zoo-goer identified as DC Panda Girl wrote, "Dear Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji — I have dreaded this post for quite awhile, living in denial and hoping this day would somehow never come. Because saying goodbye to you is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
"You may never know it, but you have given me so much over the years. You gave me a reason to smile, to laugh and to find joy, even in some of my darkest moments. You provided comfort and support in a way that humans simply could not," her letter continued.
Brandie Smith, director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, said that as the family of three departed for their new home in China, they left behind a "tremendous" legacy in Washington.
"It is exciting and humbling that people around the world have followed these pandas, shared in our joys and rooted for our success," Smith said. "As this chapter of our giant panda program closes, we remain committed to the conservation of this species and look forward to continued collaboration with our Chinese colleagues."
Asked how she would cope with having an empty panda habitat at the zoo, Smith said she would immediately think about the future, working with colleagues to bring pandas back.
What will she tell visitors who want to know when they might expect new pandas?
"I will say that they have to wait the same as I do until we know that information for sure," Smith told China Daily.
"We have a great relationship with our colleagues in China, and we look forward to working together to bring them back," she added.
Special crates holding giant pandas are ready to be loaded onto an airplane at the Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, the United States, on Nov 8, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
More than 2 million visitors travel to the zoo each year, and giant pandas are at the top of their watch list.
In an interview with China Daily in August, Smith said the absence of the bears may mean that the other animals will get "a little extra" attention.
In 2000, China and the United States signed a Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement for the second pair of giant pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, to stay at the zoo for a decade, starting on Dec 6 that year.
The loan pact was renewed twice, each time for a five-year extension, until Dec 7, 2020. It was then extended for another three years.
Since collaboration between China and the Smithsonian's National Zoo began in 2000, the two sides have worked "closely and fruitfully" on giant panda conservation and research, said Xu Xueyuan, minister of the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
"The sheer fact that so many of us are gathering here, so early in the morning, to say farewell to the giant pandas returning to China, speaks for itself the unique charm of these adorable creatures," Xu said at a seeing-off ceremony at the zoo.
"Giant pandas belong to China. Giant pandas also belong to the world. China will continue to work closely with cooperation partners, including the United States, on the conservation and research of endangered species and biodiversity protection," the diplomat said.
The zoo said, "From births and first steps to munching bamboo and playtime in the snow... Giant Panda Cam has connected fans across the world to amazing moments featuring Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cubs," On its website.
Since its launch, Giant Panda Cam has had more than 100 million page views, the zoo said.
