Atlanta has two new residents: a pair of giant pandas sent by China as a symbol of cooperation.
Zoo Atlanta announced in a social media post that the giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, are now in Georgia. The mega mammals, which are not yet on display for the public, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport the morning of Sept. 27 via a dedicated “Fedex Panda Express” Boeing 777 aircraft.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called the pandas an "envoy of friendship" between China and the United States as he spoke Sept. 24 alongside President Donald Trump at the White House during his state visit to America.
The bears' arrival is part of a new agreement on giant panda conservation
between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Zoo Atlanta said it is the only zoo in the Southeast to welcome giant pandas and only one of three zoos in the United States to house the creatures. (The others are the National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo.)
Ping Ping, whose name represents a "blessing for a smooth and healthy life," the zoo said, was born on March 17, 2020. Fu Shuang was born on Oct. 18, 2020, and her name means "happiness."
Through a translator at the White House on Sept. 24, Xi said he had "good news," explaining that "in a few days, two pandas ‒ Ping Ping and Fu Shuang ‒ will come to their new home in Zoo Atlanta and meet with the American people."
The bears will be housed in a biosecure area of Zoo Atlanta’s new giant panda complex for a routine quarantine period of around a month, according to the zoo's release.
Pandas have lived at zoos in the United States for periods since 1972 after former President Richard Nixon's foreign relations with China. The tradition has garnered the name "panda diplomacy."
Contributing: Joseph Garrison
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 new giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, arrive in Atlanta
