In a bittersweet second, two beloved large pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, together with their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, have formally begun their return journey to China after greater than twenty years on the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Zoo in the USA.
Their departure marks the top of a major chapter within the historical past of panda diplomacy and signifies the end result of a analysis settlement that was set to run out.
These exceptional pandas, cherished by thousands and thousands of tourists, are embarking on a 19-hour flight to a panda reserve in Chengdu, positioned in China’s Sichuan province.
Their mode of transportation, a 777F aircraft named the “FedEx Panda Categorical,” highlights the extraordinary care and energy taken to make sure their protected and cozy journey.
The presence of large pandas in the USA could be traced again to 1972 when the U.S. obtained its first pandas from China. This trade was impressed by the deep appreciation of pandas, with then-President Richard Nixon expressing his love for these endearing creatures. Through the years, pandas have come to represent goodwill between China and the USA, with their keep within the U.S. ruled by a singular settlement between the 2 nations.
Panda consultants and Conservation biologists have identified that Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, now of their later years, are at an age when they need to return to their homeland. Melissa Songer, a Conservation biologist on the Smithsonian Nationwide Zoo, careworn the significance of guaranteeing the well-being of those pandas, saying, “They’re on the age when they need to be in China. I don’t wish to have a panda cross away outdoors of China.”
With the departure of Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji, the Atlanta Zoo will grow to be the only real U.S. establishment housing large pandas, although they’re additionally set to return to China shortly. The Nationwide Zoo has expressed its intention to request a brand new pair of pandas from Chinese language officers, however there’s hypothesis that rising tensions between the U.S. and China might complicate future agreements associated to panda diplomacy.
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This article by Trinity Sparke was first printed by One Inexperienced Planet on 9 November 2023. Picture Credit score :Karel Cerny/Shutterstock.
