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Giant pandas are back on display at Zoo Atlanta, two years after the zoo's previous pair was returned to China.
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Six-year-old female Fu Shuang and six-year-old male Ping Ping, both born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in September following a Washington summit between presidents and an agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. After a brief quarantine, they were formally unveiled to the public on Friday.
The zoo's panda exhibit received a US$6 million update, including pools in the dayroom and new climbing structures.
Crowds turn out to welcome the pair
"This is the best day of my life," said Danielle Underwood, 39, after rushing past the flamingos and rhino to see Fu Shuang dozing. "I forgot there were other animals for a minute."
Raymond B. King, the zoo's president and chief executive, said: "They kind of bring the world to a stop for a moment. No matter what side of the aisle you're on, what race you are, what religion you are — you love a giant panda smiling at you."
The return follows a pause in panda diplomacy. In 2023, amid strained US-China relations, China began pulling pandas back from the United States, and Atlanta's two pandas left in 2024. Pandas returned to zoos in Washington and San Diego the same year.
Visitors on Friday included grandparents with grandchildren, parents with infants and out-of-state tourists. "They're as cute as the old ones," said Michelle Ross, 70, who came with her husband Ed, 75, carrying stuffed pandas for their grandchildren.
The pandas appeared largely indifferent to the crowds, focusing on what staff described as their three main activities: eating, sleeping and defecating. "She's doing two of those things," a zoo member told the crowd in front of Fu Shuang's exhibit.
