Giant Panda Trio Leaves Washington Zoo to Return to China | VOA News

Giant panda Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are transported in crates to depart the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington en route to Dulles International Airport, where they will travel aboard the FedEx Panda Express to China, Nov. 8, 2023.

Crowds gathered in Washington, Nov. 7, for a chance to say farewell to the National Zoo's three beloved giant pandas that are returning to China.

The zoo's giant panda program began in 1972, when former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai loaned two pandas to the U.S. soon after President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China that year.

The zoo's panda trio will be going back as the Smithsonian Institution's current agreement with the Chinese government expires. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to try to acquire more giant pandas but noted on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future." (Reuters)