By Canadian Press

The pandas are coming! The pandas are coming!

Oct 14, 2024 | 2:01 PM

The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought seems to be coming to an end.

Eleven months after the zoo said sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears is set to arrive.

A pair of three-year old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, have left a research facility in the southwestern Chinese city of Dujiangyan and will soon be flown to Washington, according to a statement by the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

“Food prepared for the trip includes corn bread, bamboo and carrots, as well as water and medicine,” the statement said, adding that the partnership will “make new contributions in protecting global biodiversity and enhance the friendship of the people from the two countries.”

It’s unclear exactly when the bears will arrive in Washington, but there will likely be an extended quarantine and acclimation period before they are introduced to the public.

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Bao Li (precious vigor) and Qing Bao (green treasure) arrive in Washington as part of a new 10-year exchange agreement with Chinese authorities. The previous agreement expired last year, leading to some concern among American panda-lovers that Beijing was gradually pulling its iconic furry friendship ambassadors from American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions.

Ashraf Khalil And Didi Tang, The Associated Press