Chinese President Xi Jinping said two giant pandas will arrive at Zoo Atlanta “in a few days,” bringing the zoo’s signature species back after a nearly two-year absence.
Xi announced the timeline Thursday during a White House arrival ceremony. Male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang will travel from China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Zoo Atlanta declined to reveal their exact arrival date.
Zoo Atlanta announced a new International Cooperative Research Agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association in April. The zoo’s giant panda program FAQ says Ping Ping was born March 17, 2020, while Fu Shuang was born Oct. 18, 2020.
The pair will restore a program that began in 1999 with Lun Lun and Yang Yang. During the zoo’s original 25-year partnership with China, the bears produced seven surviving offspring between 2006 and 2016, including two sets of twins. Lun Lun, Yang Yang and their youngest offspring, Ya Lun and Xi Lun, returned to China in October 2024.
Zoo Atlanta began preliminary design work on an expansion of the giant panda complex in February 2025. The zoo has not announced when visitors will be able to see Ping Ping and Fu Shuang.
Xi described giant pandas as an “envoy of friendship” between Americans and Chinese. China has long used panda conservation partnerships as a form of diplomacy, with international zoos hosting the animals under agreements.
The National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo currently host giant pandas that arrived in 2024. Atlanta’s new pair will make Zoo Atlanta the third U.S. facility with the species.
Zoo Atlanta says the renewed partnership will support panda care, research, habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation. Giant pandas are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
