Smithsonian Zoo announced the arrival of two giant pandas that landed at the National Zoo on October 15, 2024 and made their public debut on January 24, 2025, as reported by the National Zoological Park. The pair are named Bao Li and Qing Bao and were acquired from the Shenshuping and Dujiangyan bases in China. Their arrival follows the November 8, 2023 departure of Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji to China.
The pandas are housed on the Asia Trail and receive a diet of locally harvested bamboo and steamed "panda bread" made of soybean, rice, and corn flours, according to the National Zoological Park. The zoo said staff handpick multiple bamboo species, rinse and mist bundles to maintain freshness, and reuse leftovers to feed other herbivores at the park.
The institution underscores that its giant panda program is part of a research, conservation, and breeding effort. The zoo has run multiyear cooperative agreements with Chinese wildlife authorities to study breeding, cub behavior, and conservation strategies, as reported by the National Zoological Park.
Park Operations History Research and Public Access
The National Zoological Park operates two campuses, a 163 acre urban park in Rock Creek Park and a 3,200 acre Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, as reported by the National Zoological Park. The two facilities together host roughly 2,700 animals of about 390 species, with about one fifth of those species listed as endangered.
The park traces its federal founding to an act of Congress on March 2, 1889, and was later placed under Smithsonian management, according to the National Zoological Park. A visiting guide notes an official act by President Grover Cleveland in 1889 and records that the zoo opened to the public in 1891. The zoo says its mission is to provide engaging experiences with animals and to create and share knowledge to save wildlife and habitats.
The National Zoological Park emphasizes research and training through the SCBI. The institute houses six centers focusing on conservation ecology, migratory birds, reproductive science, genetics, conservation education, and wildlife health and husbandry, as reported by the National Zoological Park. The SCBI facility trains conservation professionals and breeds rare species in spacious surroundings.
The zoo is free to enter like other Smithsonian museums, and the visiting guide recommends reserving timed entry passes in advance. Public transit access includes the Red Line stops at Cleveland Park and Woodley Park, and the park reported about 1.8 million visitors in 2019.
The National Zoological Park also records notable incidents and management actions in its history. Examples reported by the park include animal losses and safety incidents such as a 1995 fatal lion attack, a 1983 theft of a venomous viper, the 2006 euthanasia of an elephant named Toni, and a 2022 red fox intrusion that killed flamingos. The zoo says it has responded by expanding veterinary staff, upgrading facilities, and developing long term conservation and research programs.
