Qing Bao, one of the Smithsonian National Zoo's new Giant Pandas, eats an apple on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. In November 2023, the National Zoo sent its three pandas — Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who had lived there since 2000, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, in advance of the expiration of their loan agreement and amidst rising tensions between the two countries.
A panda drought — that has been unbearable for some — is finally over.
Two Giant pandas are now available for public viewing in the nation's capital.
Bao Li and Qing Bao are out of quarantine and in the spotlight after a three month wait and 8,000 mile trip from China.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Students from the Yu Ying Public Charter School visit the Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Pandas after performing at the opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, second from right, claps to the sounds of Crush Funk Brass Band during the opening ceremony celebrating the Smithsonian National Zoo's new Giant Pandas on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Students from the Yu Ying Public Charter School visit the Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Pandas after performing at the opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
They now stand — or clumsily climb or roll around — and are ready to make their public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Their return, after China recalled earlier furry ambassadors, marks a reboot of Panda diplomacy.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Bao Li, one of the Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Pandas, chomps on bamboo on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Giant Panda supporters flood the Smithsonian's National Zoo to see the new pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Giant Panda supporters flood the Smithsonian's National Zoo to see the new pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
For those who can't come to D.C., the panoply of panda antics is on digital display via the the Giant Panda Cam.
People were bamboozled by the roly-poly big-eyed cuteness — such clips have drawn in millions of viewers.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Scientists and volunteers observe panda behavior from inside the Smithsonian National Zoo's Panda House on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Giant Panda supporters flood the Smithsonian's National Zoo to see new pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Tyrone Turner / WAMU
/
WAMU
Giant panda Bao Li traverses a snowy enclosure on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The pair arrived in Washington D.C. — aboard the fittingly nicknamed "Panda Express" — from China back in October. But, they could only occasionally be glimpsed until this week.
China has also loaned two other giant pandas to the U.S., both at the San Diego Zoo. As a gesture of goodwill, it seems panda appeal is pretty black and white.
President Trump's U.K. state visit this week won't include the Scottish island where his late immigrant mother was born. Mary Anne MacLeod was a Gaelic speaker who learned English as a second language.
The march, organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, drew more than 110,000 people on Saturday. At least 26 police officers were injured in clashes that broke out.
The FAA is seeking proposals for projects that will include piloted and unmanned operations with a focus on electric air taxis, also called an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Richardson, a former president at Baltimore's Morgan State University, led a lawsuit that ended in a historic settlement for four historically Black colleges and universities in Maryland. He was 81.
Utah State University students, where Charlie Kirk was supposed to speak at the end of the month, respond to the governor's plea to disagree constructively.
You make NHPR possible.
NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.
Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.
