Two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, have left China on a charter flight to the United States, where they will be housed for 10 years at Zoo Atlanta.
The two animals departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan province at 2:55 a.m. local time on Sunday. The flight to Atlanta is expected to take about 15 hours.
Upon arrival in the U.S., Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will undergo a period of quarantine and will be monitored by veterinarians and caretakers. A Chinese team will temporarily stay in Atlanta to care for the pandas and help them adapt to their new environment.
Before the trip, the pandas underwent a period of preparation for transport. They were accustomed to the special travel cages and the noises they would encounter during the flight, while fresh food, including bamboo and fruit, was also prepared for the journey.
Their transfer is part of the so-called "panda diplomacy," a tradition through which China has used the loan of pandas to strengthen cooperation and relations with other countries for decades. The tradition between China and the United States began in 1972, after US President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.
Ping Ping is a male and was born on March 17, 2020, while Fu Shuang is a female and was born on October 18 of the same year. Both were born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and were selected for transfer to Atlanta based on their age, health, genetics and character.
