STORY: Two giant pandas from China arrive in Washington, D.C.
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 15, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 16, 2024
LENGTH: 0:00:36
LOCATION: Washington D.C.
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the FedEx cargo jet carrying the two giant pandas arriving at the Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C.
2. various of the pandas being unloaded from the plane FedEx cargo jet
3. various of the giant pandas arriving at the zoo (Video Credit: FedEx and Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)

STORYLINE:

A pair of giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, arrived at Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, after an approximately 19-hour trans-Pacific trip from Sichuan Province in southwest China.

A dedicated "FedEx Panda Express" Boeing 777F aircraft landed at the Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. at around 10:00 a.m. local time (1400 GMT).

The pandas were loaded onto trucks and were sent to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI).

The three-year-old pandas will make their new home at the zoo, as part of a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation program.

Bao Li, male, whose name means "treasure" and "energy" in Chinese, was born in August 2021. He shares a special bond with the zoo, as he is the son of Bao Bao and the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang -- all former residents of the zoo.

Qing Bao, female, whose name means "green" and "treasure" in Chinese, was born in September 2021.

Per standard procedure, the pandas will be quarantined in the panda house for a minimum of 30 days, according to the zoo.

This is the second time this year that China has sent giant pandas to the United States. Two giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, landed in California from China on June 27, and made their public debut on Aug. 9.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C.
(XHTV)