Smithsonian Welcomes Two Pandas

National Zoo builds on long history of wildlife conservation

December 10, 2024

None — *Three-year-old giant panda Qing Bao snacks on bamboo prior to her long journey from China to Washington, D.C.* PHOTO Roshan Patel/ Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Weeks into adjusting to his new environs at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., following a long journey from China this fall, three-year-old Bao Li is already a giant figure.

The world’s hope for giant pandas rests on the young bear’s shoulders, as well as on those of fellow new arrival, female Qing Bao. How will the pair figure into scientists’ long-term effort to pull giant pandas back from the brink of extinction?

Bao Li is living proof of conservation success, the result of more than 50 years of painstaking research, innovation, education, training and international collaboration centered at the National Zoo. Born in Sichuan, China, in 2021, Bao Li is the offspring of Bao Bao, the second of four National Zoo-born cubs to survive to adulthood—all of whom have gone to China to enter the breeding program.

The success of the Zoo’s giant panda family reflects a wider rebound for the species: In 2016, three years after Bao Bao’s birth, giant pandas were downlisted from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the global list of species at risk of extinction.

“We’re thrilled to welcome two new giant pandas to the National Zoo, including a descendant of one of our beloved panda family,” said Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “This historic moment is proof that our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Together, we have grown the panda population and learned what’s needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat.”

But as with any work that spans generations, there is still more to do.

Healthier Populations

Bao Li (whose name means “treasure” and “energetic”) and Qing Bao (“green treasure”) are the next step in a continuum of giant panda conservation at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

A new 10-year panda research agreement between the National Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association will expand on previous years’ advances through additional breeding, innovation of reproductive techniques, knowledge sharing and training of conservation scientists.

In the laboratory, a focus on endocrinology, reproductive biology, genetics and disease has contributed to reduced threats and healthier populations in zoos and in the wild. Continued improvements in sperm banking, natural and assisted reproduction and medical research for giant pandas will build on a strong foundation.

Conservation scientists in China have made strides as well, and the new agreement will expand on their success. Identifying forest corridors to connect fragmented habitats and studying wild pandas’ movements have shown promise: In some areas, pandas have returned to places they have not occupied in more than a decade.

Additionally, Smithsonian scientists have trained more than 1,500 Chinese wildlife professionals and students, many of whom now lead major giant panda research and habitat programs in China.

Closer to home, the Zoo completed a renovation of the giant pandas’ habitat in summer 2024, including new features for exercise and play. It’s a warm welcome for the Zoo’s newest arrivals, who are expected to make their public debut in January 2025. A $25 million campaign to support the future of the National Zoo’s giant panda program includes generous leadership gifts from David M. Rubenstein and Adrienne Arsht, and corporate partner FedEx.

Published Fall 2024 in IMPACT Vol. 10. No 2

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