Early this morning, the dedicated panda team at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) completed the final preparations for the journey of Giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji back to their homeland in China. Boarding a custom FedEx Panda Express Boeing 777F, the trio is set to endure a roughly 19-hour flight to Chengdu, China, with a brief refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska.
Ensuring the utmost comfort and safety, each panda occupied an individual, custom travel crate, acclimated to over several weeks. Prior to departure, the pandas bid farewell to their habitat at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat, making their way to custom trucks. NZCBI Directors Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars, alongside Minister Xu Xueyuan from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and dedicated animal care staff, joined the departure ceremony.
Crafted from steel and plexiglass, the specialized travel crates weigh approximately 800 pounds each. Assistant curator of giant pandas Laurie Thompson, animal keeper Mariel Lally, and supervisory veterinary medical officer James Steeil accompany the pandas on their journey. Throughout the lengthy flight, the NZCBI team will diligently monitor Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji. A stash of provisions, including bamboo, leaf-eater biscuits, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, pears, and cooked squash, will sustain them during the trip.
Upon reaching Chengdu, the pandas will be welcomed by their new caretakers from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, who will then transport them to ShenShuPing Campus in Wolong for an approximately 30-day quarantine. The NZCBI team will stay with the pandas for initial acclimation to their new surroundings. Notably, Xiao Qi Ji is slated to enter the giant panda breeding program upon reaching sexual maturity.
Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, arrived in Washington, D.C., in 2000, becoming the second pair of giant pandas at NZCBI. Their offspring—Tai Shan (b. 2005), Bao Bao (b. 2013), and Bei Bei (b. 2015)—have already returned to China. With the historic birth of Xiao Qi Ji in 2020, Mei Xiang achieved the distinction of being the oldest giant panda to give birth in the United States. The NZCBI’s Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, established in 2000, has reached its conclusion, prompting the pandas’ return to China.
While controversies surround the international transport of captive wildlife, raising concerns about stress and safety, a growing movement emphasizes wildlife conservation in their natural habitats. Only approximately 1,850 giant pandas remain in the wild, with around 300 living in captivity. Ongoing threats to their habitat, such as poorly-planned infrastructure projects, continue to endanger the wild panda population, highlighting the critical need for conservation efforts.