Pandas arrive at National Zoo, but won't be ready for public debut until January

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo's long dark panda drought has come to an end,

Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears arrived late Tuesday morning.

The three-year old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, were flown from China to Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia, with a refueling stop in Alaska. They were loaded into special FedEx trucks and arrived at the zoo just before noon.

"Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for the pandas’ arrival, and we’re thrilled to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington, D.C., the only place you can see giant pandas for free in the nation,” said Brandie Smith, the national zoo director who travelled to China to take part in farewell ceremonies for the bears there. "As a result of our collective efforts, today we joyfully celebrate a new chapter of our 52-year-long giant panda breeding and conservation program.”

The zoo was closed Tuesday to facilitate the arrivals. The bears will be quarantined from the public for at least 30 days. A statement from the zoo set the date for the bears' official public debut and the reopening of the renovated panada house as Jan. 24, 2025.

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

Breeding pairs in zoos in Memphis and San Diego had already returned to China earlier and the four pandas in the Atlanta zoo left for China last week.

That anxiety turned to optimism last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly stated a desire to continue the panda exchange programs. This year, a new pair of bears has been delivered to the San Diego Zoo, while another pair has been promised to San Francisco.

In Washington, National Zoo officials remained conspicuously silent about negotiations for a new panda agreement, but they expressed optimism about striking a new deal and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of its panda enclosure in anticipation. Then in late May, Smith teamed up with first lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would be arriving by the end of this year.

Pandas have become one of the unofficial symbols of the nation’s capital, dating back to 1972 when the first pair — Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing — were sent as a gift from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai following President Richard Nixon’s historic diplomatic visit to China. Later, a rolling series of 10-year cooperation agreements was struck.

“The giant pandas are an iconic part of the Washington, D.C., story, both for locals and incoming travelers alike,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. “The interest and excitement associated with their return directly benefits the entire city, bringing further interest and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions.”

The exact terms of the deal are still unclear; under previous 10-year agreements the Chinese government receives $1 million per year, per bear. Any cubs born in overseas zoos are typically returned to China before they reach age four.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, credited the decades of cooperation with advancing research into panda preservation and breeding. During the lifespan of these agreements, giant pandas have been reclassified from an endangered species to merely vulnerable.

“The current round of cooperation will focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases, and protection of habitats and wild giant panda populations,” Liu said in an email. “We hope the arrival of the pandas will inject fresh impetus into exchanges between China and the U.S., and help to stabilize the broader bilateral relationship as well.”

A FedEx cargo plane arrives at Dulles International Airport carrying giant pandas from China on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

A FedEx cargo plane arrives at Dulles International Airport carrying giant pandas from China on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Police vehicles escort a FedEx truck carrying giant pandas to the National Zoo after they arrived at Dulles International Airport from China on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

A FedEx cargo plane arrives at Dulles International Airport carrying giant pandas from China on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Ground crew walk up to a FedEx cargo plane carrying giant pandas from China after it landed at Dulles International Airport on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, a cage containing female giant panda Qing Bao is loaded onto a plane at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, a pair of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are prepared for loading onto a plane at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, a cage containing male giant panda Bao Li is loaded onto a plane at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, workers send off the pair of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao from the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, female giant panda Qing Bao is prepared for transport from the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

In this image taken from video and released by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, male giant panda Bao Li is prepared for transport from the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Jin Tao/China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration via AP)

FILE- Panda cub Bao Bao, right, and her mother Mei Xiang are seen in their habitat at the National Zoo in Washington, Aug. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE - Giant pandas eat bamboo at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, May 4, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germany on Saturday was still in shock and struggling to understand the suspect behind the attack in the city of Magdeburg.

Identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A., a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist, authorities said he has been living in Germany for two decades. He was arrested on site after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market crowded with holiday shoppers Friday evening, killing at least five people and wounding about 200 others.

Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had yet to come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile.

Taleb’s X account is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.

He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”

He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum seekers.

Neumann, the terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar."

A person stands by flowers and candles placed outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)