After a two-year hiatus, two black and white gentle giants are back in Atlanta.
Panda pair Fu Shuang and Ping Ping arrived in the Peach State at the end of September to restart the research collaboration between Zoo Atlanta and Chinese organizations. The two pandas will be part of a breeding program set to last at least 10 years.
They will be the second group of pandas to make a home in Atlanta after pair Lun Lun and Yang Yang raised seven cubs at Zoo Atlanta beginning in 1999. The pair, and their youngest offspring, were returned to China in 2024 at the end of their 25-year lease.
Fu Shuang and Ping Ping are settling in to their new home as they prepare to meet guests for the very first time next month. Take a look at their first few weeks in Atlanta.
Panda pair settles in at Zoo Atlanta
The new pandas are going through a routine but required one-month quarantine period at Zoo Atlanta to make sure they are happy and healthy before the new Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove opens in November.
In the meantime, Zoo Atlanta has shared update videos on social media to show how the pandas are settling in.
"Atlanta's newest arrivals are exceeding the team's expectations in terms of their acclimation," the zoo said on Sept. 30, just three days after touching down in Atlanta. "Both Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are eating well and adjusting more and more each day."
They are quickly making Atlanta their home, the zoo said, and have been "eating a variety of new bamboo species and bamboo shoots."
But the life of an acclimating panda is not a hard one.
"When you're a panda, life really is this uncomplicated. Ping Ping is here to show us the specialized jaw and skull structure adaptations that allow giant pandas to so effortlessly break up bamboo," the zoo said.
When can you see the new pandas?
The Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove will open on Nov. 6, allowing zoo visitors to see the pandas for the first time in Atlanta.
The newly expanded and renovated habitat builds on the existing panda zone at Zoo Atlanta, but with $6 million in upgrades.
“This is a momentous occasion in Zoo Atlanta history. We are overjoyed to introduce Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and the all-new Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove to our community, City of Atlanta, State of Georgia, and beyond on November 6. Members and guests who recall the original giant panda habitat will know immediately upon entry that they are in for an entirely new experience,” Raymond B. King, President and CEO of Zoo Atlanta, said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, and our incredible philanthropic community for their long-term support, investment in, and vision for the giant panda program at Zoo Atlanta.”
Why did Zoo Atlanta lose their pandas in 2024?
Panda pair Lun Lun and Yang Yang were part of an original "panda agreement" in 1999, and between 2006 and 2016, the pair had seven offspring. These are the pandas you might have seen if you visited Zoo Atlanta anytime in the past two decades.
The young pandas went back to the research base in China when they reached a certain age, in accordance with the agreement, until there were only the parents and two youngest pandas, Ya Lun and Xi Lun left in October 2024. But, the "panda loan" was always only meant for 25 years. So two years ago, the final pandas were packed up and sent back to the Chengdu Research Base, ending the full-time residency of pandas in Atlanta.
All pandas abroad continue to be owned by China, and are only ever on loan to other nations. A new agreement between the United States and China for their pandas was announced in April, but it was unclear when the pandas may actually return to Atlanta.
The future of "panda diplomacy" was uncertain after the 2024 election when President Trump and China's President Xi Jingping were at odds with one another. The new pandas, however, have arrived shortly after a summit between the two leaders, in which Jingping said the loan program was a sign of "friendship between the Chinese and Americans."
The new panda agreement with Zoo Atlanta is set to last for 10 years.
Irene Wright covers Zoo Atlanta as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zoo Atlanta counts down to new panda launch. How are they settling in?
