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☆ Giant Pandas Are Returning to San Diego, China Announces
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Alan Rappeport | More About Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States and China may be at odds these days over Russia’s war in Ukraine, cheap Chinese exports, tensions with Taiwan and matters of human rights. But when it comes to giant pandas, diplomacy is back. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China confirmed this week that two giant pandas — Yun Chuan and Xin Bao — would be sent from the China Conservation and Research Center to the San Diego Zoo. The zoo has a longstanding partnership with China on panda conservation research, and a ministry spokesman said the upcoming exchange would focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases and habitat protection. It is not clear when the new pandas will arrive, but the agreement should allay concerns that the recent tensions between the United States and China would threaten the beloved tradition of panda diplomacy.

Persons: Yun Chuan, Xin Bao —, Lin Jian Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Conservation and Research Center, San Diego Zoo Locations: States, China, Ukraine, Taiwan, U.S, United States

☆ Giant pandas coming to San Francisco from China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Paradise Afshar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China will send giant pandas to live at San Francisco’s zoo for the first time, Mayor London Breed has announced. “The memorandum of understanding signed by Mayor Breed and the (China Wildlife Conservation Association) this morning is the first official leased agreement for Giant Pandas to have residency at the San Francisco Zoo,” a media release from the city on Friday reads. “In 1984 and again in 1985, the San Francisco Zoo temporarily hosted Giant Pandas from China as part of a global tour.”In February, it was announced that China would be sending two giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo – marking the first time it has granted new panda loans in the US in two decades, CNN previously reported. The National Zoo was the first US zoo to showcase pandas, and the end of its program had left Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas. Fewer than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which lists the species as vulnerable.

Persons: Mayor London Breed, Mayor Breed, “, ”, Breed, Xi Jinping, Richard Nixon’s Organizations: CNN, Mayor London, Mayor, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Giant Pandas, San Francisco Zoo, Pandas, San Diego Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, World Wildlife Fund Locations: China, Francisco’s, “ San Francisco, Washington, Beijing

☆ An ancient dinner still sits in a Bronze Age village 2,850 years later
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

First, one of the crew found a marble head of a Roman lady, and two weeks later its bust surfaced nearby, reuniting the pieces. Cambridge Archaeological UnitMust Farm was a thriving Bronze Age stilt village, perched above a river in eastern England, when it burned down 2,850 years ago — just nine months after its inhabitants had built it. The site, acclaimed by experts as “Britain’s Pompeii,” preserved rare information that reveals a new, less hierarchical portrait of Bronze Age society. Malhan/MPIAAstronomers have spied two streams of ancient stars that likely helped build the Milky Way galaxy billions of years ago. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Earl of Exeter, ”, Chris Wakefield, Kermit the, Jim Henson’s, Payne, Shiva, Li Yibo, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Burghley, University of Cambridge, Smithsonian National Museum of, NASA, Force, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, CNN Space, Science Locations: United Kingdom, Peterborough, England, Cambridge, Africa, Ethiopia’s, China, Shaanxi, Iran

☆ South Koreans mourn as country’s first celebrity panda, Fu Bao, heads to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Fu Bao fandomBorn to parents Ai Bao and Le Bao in July 2020 as part of China’s “panda diplomacy” program, Fu Bao is South Korea’s first naturally-bred panda. Some South Koreans said Fu Bao provided them with moments of joy during the pandemic. In one video, Fu Bao clings tightly to Kang’s leg, unwilling to let go, as he spins gently around the room. The other short video shows Fu Bao clinging to Kang’s arm while relaxing on a wooden bench. Once Fu Bao departs for China, there will be four giant pandas left at Everland – Fu Bao’s mother Ai Bao, father Le Bao, and their twin babies Rui Bao and Hui Bao, who were born last July.

Persons: Fu Bao, Fu, Fu Bao’s, Ai Bao, Le Bao, ”, you’re, zookeeper, grandpa, Kang Chul, ” Kang, 판다월드, Everland, Rui Bao, Hui Bao Organizations: CNN, South Korea’s, South, YouTube, China Conservation and Research Center, Samsung, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: South, Yongin city, South Korea, China, Everland, Sichuan Province

☆ Two giant pandas are moving to a California zoo in a rare loan from China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Taylor Romine | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China is sending two giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo – the first time it has granted new panda loans to the United States in two decades. His comments came shortly after the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC sent its three pandas back to China – marking the end of more than 50 years of Chinese pandas being housed at the zoo. The National Zoo was the first US zoo to showcase pandas, and the end of its program had left Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas. San Diego Zoo returned its last two pandas to China in 2019, after its loan agreement ended. According to Xinhua, discussions are ongoing for “a new round of cooperation” with the National Zoo and a zoo in Austria.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington , DC, Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Xinhua, Washington, Smithsonian, National Zoo, World Wildlife Fund Locations: China, United States, Washington ,, San, Europe, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Qatar, Xinhua, Austria

☆ Britain bids farewell to its only giant pandas after 12 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zookeepers have spent the last few weeks making sure the two pandas, Yang Guang and Tian Tian, are used to crates in preparation for their long journey, expected at some point in early December. [1/4]Yang Guang, one of the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, eats bamboo stalks in its enclosure, in Edinburgh, Britain, November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Lesley Martin Acquire Licensing Rights"Yang Guang and Tian Tian have had an incredible impact by inspiring millions of people to care about nature," he said in a statement. The return of the Edinburgh bears to China comes as a number of giant pandas have also headed home from the U.S., part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. That began in 1972, when the government of China presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. after President Richard Nixon's historic Cold War visit to the communist country.

Persons: Zookeepers, Yang Guang, Tian Tian, David Field, Lesley Martin, Richard Nixon's, Washington's, Sarah Young, Jan Harvey Organizations: Edinburgh Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association, REUTERS, Edinburgh, Thomson Locations: China, Edinburgh, Britain, U.S, Memphis, San Diego

☆ Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, crowds gathered to say goodbye and catch one final look at Yang Guang and Tian Tian, who for 12 years have enraptured millions of visitors and residents of Edinburgh. “We’ve flown up for the day; we must be mad,” Lauren Darling, who recently visited the zoo, told The Telegraph. But American zoo officials and scientists said that it came down to biology, or “panda time,” since the three pandas should be going back to China because they are at an advanced age. A similar reason was cited by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The pandas, the zoo said, arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 as part of a 10-year arrangement between the organization’s charity and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which allowed them to keep the pandas an extra two years because of the pandemic.

Persons: Yang Guang, Tian Tian, “ We’ve, ” Lauren Darling, It’s, Rebecca Plant Organizations: Telegraph, National Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: Edinburgh, Britain, Washington, China

☆ PANDA WATCH: More Pandas might be coming to the US after multiple zoos had to send theirs away, China's top leader teases
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

General Secretary Xi Jinping opened the door to returning giant pandas to US zoos. Xi's comments come as all giant pandas at US zoos will soon be sent to China. Xi's comments came as lease agreements with US zoos are set to expire with no immediate replacement, meaning all giant pandas currently in the nation will soon return to China. The Atlanta Zoo is currently the only zoo in the US left with giant pandas. Advertisement"Recently, the three pandas at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. have returned to China.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Joe Biden, —, Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, Xi's, Pat Nixon Organizations: Service, Chinese Communist Party Xi, Atlanta Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Washington Post, Biden Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Washington , DC, San Diego, Memphis, Washington

☆ Car Talk and Birthday Wishes Punctuate Biden’s ‘Trust but Verify’ Diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Katie Rogers | More About Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“You know what they call that car?” Mr. Biden asked Mr. Xi. Mr. Biden wished Mr. Xi’s wife a happy birthday. Mr. Xi replied with embarrassment that he had forgotten her birthday was approaching because he had been working so much. At another point, Mr. Biden brandished a picture of a younger Mr. Xi standing on the Golden Gate Bridge. Mr. Biden eventually pierced the “Kumbaya” moment by telling reporters after the carefully coordinated summit that he still considered the Chinese leader a dictator.

Persons: Mr, Biden, Xi, ’, Xi’s, “, ‘, Mao Ning, Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, —, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Mr, North Locations: United States, China, Asia, Washington, Russia, Helsinki, North Korean, Lago, Florida

☆ US would welcome back any pandas from China, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States would welcome back any giant pandas China decides to send, the White House said on Thursday after Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted he might return some of the cuddly-looking black-and-white bears as a friendship gesture. And we respect the sovereign decision that China made to remove some of the pandas," White House spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing. "And certainly should a decision be made by the PRC (People's Republic of China) to restore some of the pandas to the United States, we would absolutely welcome them back." He said he also learned that the San Diego Zoo and people in California look forward to welcoming pandas back. "Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples," Xi said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, John Kirby, Xi, Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Doina Chiacu, Michael Martina, Chris Reese Organizations: PRC, People's, San, Economic Cooperation, San Diego Zoo, Pandas, World Wildlife Fund, Zoo, Thomson Locations: United, China, People's Republic of China, United States, San Francisco, Asia, California, Washington, Sichuan

Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media. The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Biden, Ashraf Khalil Organizations: FRANCISCO, U.S ., National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Garden, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Associated Press Locations: China, United States, California, San Diego, U.S, Beijing, Washington, San Francisco, Memphis , Tennessee

The San Diego Zoo sent its pandas home in 2019 and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. Whatever the reason, San Diego Zoo officials were hopeful. "It is a moment with some heartbreak in it,” National Zoo Director Brandie Smith said at the time. The San Diego Zoo has been panda-less for four years and may need to upgrade or refurbish its facilities. The National Zoo had announced plans to renovate its panda house and outdoor enclosure, but the timing on those plans is unclear.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji —, ”, Daniel Ashe, ” Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Wilder, Gavin Newsom's, Xi’s, Paul A, Baribault, Ling, Hsing, Brandie Smith, Le Le, Didi Tang, Amy Taxin Organizations: WASHINGTON, San Diego Zoo, National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Veteran, Economic Cooperation, Association of Zoos, Aquariums, Georgetown University’s Initiative, U.S, California Gov, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, “, Zoo, Associated Press Locations: America, California, San Diego, U.S, Memphis , Tennessee, China, Veteran China, People's Republic, Asia, San Francisco, United States, Washington, Memphis, Santa Ana , California

☆ Panda Diplomacy Might Not Be Dead Just Yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The fur balls might be coming back to Washington and San Diego. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said in a speech on Wednesday night that his nation’s best diplomats, giant pandas, might soon return to zoos in the United States that have recently sent bears back to their homeland. “We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” he told a gathering of mostly business executives at a dinner in San Francisco. Mr. Xi pointed out that the pandas are “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”Panda-monium gripped the United States last week when the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington sent its two aging adult pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, or “Little Miracle,” back to China on a 19-hour FedEx flight, the Panda Express.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mr, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji Organizations: FedEx, Panda Express Locations: Washington, San Diego, United States, San Francisco, China

☆ Xi says U.S. and China can only be adversaries or partners, with no middle ground
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin Lamarque | ReutersBEIJING — The U.S. and China have to choose between being adversaries or partners, Chinese President Xi Jinping told American business executives late Wednesday. Xi Jinping President of China"In this respect, the number one question for us is: are we adversaries, or partners? "No matter how the global landscape evolves, the historical trend of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States will not change," Xi said. Regarding earlier conversations with Biden, Xi said "we agreed to make the cooperation list longer and the pie of cooperation bigger." Xi Jinping President of China

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Xi, Tim Cook, Cristiano Amon —, Gina Raimondo Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Reuters, Beijing, U.S, Apple, Qualcomm, U.S ., China Business Council, National Committee, China Relations, Pandas, San Diego Zoo Locations: Filoli, Asia, Woodside , California, U.S, Reuters BEIJING, The U.S, China, San Francisco, United States, Beijing

☆ U.S.-China relations are now more about crisis prevention
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

It will be a rare summit before the U.S. presidential election cycle kicks off in earnest. "The immediate aftermath of the [Biden-Xi] meeting is likely to mark a cyclical high point for bilateral relations," he said. Taiwan is set to hold its presidential election in January, and a more pro-independence winner could stir more of Beijing's ire. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, with no right to independently conduct diplomatic relations. The U.S. recognizes Beijing as the sole government of China but maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan, a democratically self-governed island.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Michael Hirson, Trump, Xi, Gabriel Wildau, Antony Blinken, Chuck Schumer, Shen Yamei, Shen, Gina Raimondo, Lifeng, Janet Yellen, Teneo, Nancy Pelosi, Teneo's Wildau Organizations: Reuters, U.S, China Research, Research, D.C, Strategic, International, Biden, Republican, Democratic, American Studies, China Institute of International Studies, CNBC, U.S . Commerce, Treasury, U.S . House, Representatives, Economic Cooperation, China's Ministry of Commerce Locations: Bali , Indonesia, Reuters BEIJING, U.S, China, Taiwan, South China, Washington, Beijing, San Francisco, Gaza, Ukraine, Asia

The pandas, accompanied by three zookeepers, will travel to a reserve in China’s mountainous Sichuan province, where an estimated 1,800 pandas are still found in the wild, according to the National Zoo. "It's a moment of joy because this is one more step in 50 years of a successful giant panda conservation program and hopefully the beginning of 50 more years of successful giant panda conservation," she said. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, arrived at the National Zoo in 2000. The trio, made famous by the zoo's "Giant Panda Cam" with more than 100 million views, were part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. Kimberly Blalock, a young visitor at the National Zoo on Tuesday, was among the last to see the pandas on display in Washington.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, munch, Brandie Smith, It's, Mei Xiang, Richard Nixon's, Kimberly Blalock, Kevin Fogarty, Kia Johnson, Rich McKay, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Boeing, FedEx Panda Express, Dulles International, National Zoo ., National Zoo, U.S . Pandas, China Wildlife Conservation, U.S, Georgia's Zoo, Thomson Locations: China, Sichuan, U.S, Memphis, San Diego, Georgia's, Georgia's Zoo Atlanta, Washington, Atlanta

The pandas’ departure from the National Zoo leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China, and not for much longer. First lady Pat Nixon welcomes China's giant pandas on April 20, 1972, at Washington's National Zoo. They have since become the parents of seven giant panda cubs born at Zoo Atlanta, according to the zoo. Staff at the National Zoo say they’re hopeful China might one day send over more giant pandas. Plans for the exhibit, with a welcome sign announcing the “Giant Pandas of Chengdu” and a panda-themed gift shop, aren’t clear.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Nixon, Mao Zedong, Richard Nixon, ”, Mao Ning, Richard Nixon’s, Mao Zedong’s, Pat Nixon, “, Hsing, YaYa, Xin Xin, David Culver, Fernando Gual Sill, CNN Xin Xin –, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Yang Yang, Lun Lun, Steve Schaefer, –, Bob Lee, Jane Mahalik, “ Pat Nixon, ” Mahalik, Jill Biden, Yong Xiong, Melissa Gray Organizations: CNN, Smithsonian National Zoo, ” Zoo, National Zoo, Zoo, AP China, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Washington, of Public Service, Memphis Zoo, Atlanta, Chapultepec Zoo, Pandas, Zoo Atlanta, Getty, Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Chengdu Research Base, Staff, National Locations: Washington ,, China, what’s, Zoo Atlanta, Beijing, United States, City of Peking, Washington, Atlanta, Russia, Mexico City, Chapultepec, Mexico, “, China’s, Moscow, Qatar, AFP, America, Zoo, Chengdu, New York, Los Angeles

☆ How might one get pandas to mate? Try leg workouts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, will leave their enclosure in DC next year. During their time at the National Zoo, staff tried to get Mei Xiang and Tian Tian to mate. One of the exercises was to get Tian Tian to stand as tall as he could to work out his legs, according to the newspaper. For Mei Xiang, curators had her lie on a log to help her prepare for when Tian Tian approached her. AdvertisementAdvertisementSince her time in America, Mei Xiang has given birth to four surviving cubs with Tian Tian.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Xiang, Tian, —, We're, we're, Brandi Smith, Stefani Reynolds, Pierre Comizzoli Organizations: National Zoo, Service, Washington Post, Post, Zoo, Panda Cooperative Research, National, Getty, FedEx Locations: China, Washington, America

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo's three celebrity giant pandas will be heading home a little earlier than expected. Zoo officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that adult bears Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji will be returning to China sometime in mid-November. The zoo’s exchange agreement with the Chinese government, originally brokered by President Richard Nixon 50 years ago, expires Dec. 7. The San Diego zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. The pandas return to China when they reach old age, and any cubs born in the United States are sent to China around age 3 or 4.

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Richard Nixon, Annalisa Meyer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Associated Press, U.S, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Zoo, Atlanta Zoo Locations: China, Beijing, San Diego, Memphis , Tennessee, America, United States

A general view of the U.S. Capitol, where Congress will return Tuesday to deal with a series of spending bills before funding runs out and triggers a partial U.S. government shutdown, in Washington, U.S. September 25, 2023. Congress has shut down the government 14 times since 1981, though most of those funding gaps have lasted only a day or two. Despite the looming shutdown deadline, the House will turn its attention first to the four full-year bills, which even if they pass would not fund the full government or prevent a shutdown. Success is not guaranteed: Republican hardliners blocked action on spending bills last week and some have said they would try to do so again. But that could prompt Republican hardliners to act on their threat to depose McCarthy, plunging the chamber further into chaos.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Kevin McCarthy, Moody's, Joe Biden, McCarthy, Biden, McCarthy's, Ralph Norman, Donald Trump, David Morgan, Andy Sullivan, Moira Warburton, Trevor Hunnicutt, Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S . Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . House, Democratic, Republican, National, U.S . government's AAA, Republicans, Social Security, House Republicans, Sunday, Caucus, Senate, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, China, Congress, America

☆ US National Zoo Bids Farewell to Pandas as Government Shutdown Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Washington's National Zoo is honoring its three giant pandas with nine days of events ahead of their return to China but stormy weather and a looming U.S. government shutdown have put something of a damper on the festivities. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The zoo, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, receives federal funding, and would be forced to close to the public during a government shutdown, according to its website. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ US National Zoo bids farewell to pandas as government shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Visitors take photos of giant panda Mei Xiang eating bamboo during the reopening morning of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, U.S., May 21, 2021. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The shutdown would not disrupt animal care, but the zoo's popular live "Panda Cam" would go dark. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ A 7-year journey to deliver an asteroid sample to Earth will soon end in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The cargo van-size spacecraft arrived in orbit around the asteroid Bennu in December 2018, providing detailed views of the spinning top-shaped space rock. Other worldsA training model of the OSIRIS-REx mission's sample return capsule was released from an aircraft in August, simulating the upcoming recovery operations. Keegan Barber/NASAThe OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will fly by Earth this weekend and drop off its precious sample from Bennu. Watch as the sample capsule is set to plunge through Earth’s atmosphere and land in the Utah desert, with NASA’s live coverage beginning at 10 a.m. As the capsule parachutes down, OSIRIS-REx will keep going, embarking on a new adventure to explore the asteroid Apophis.

Persons: CNN —, REx, NASA’s, Keegan Barber, ”, Deutsches, Monopoly, you’re, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Rice University in Texas, Mechanical, Zimbabwe, Bochum, Iron, Swedish Museum of, Publishing, Andromeda Galaxy, CNN Space, Science Locations: Utah, Dürrnberg, Austria, Austrian, Zambia, Tasmania, Stockholm, Western Australia

☆ Giant pandas living in zoos could be suffering from ‘jet lag,’ study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Giant pandas living in captivity could be suffering from “jet lag” if their body clocks don’t match their environments, scientists say. “This is definitely a concept that could apply to all captive animals,” Gandia told CNN. Giant pandas were chosen as the focus for the study partly because they live highly seasonal lives. Gandia explained to CNN that the latitudinal range for giant pandas is between 26 and 42 degrees north. A team of 13 observers, led by Gandia, monitored 11 giant pandas at six different zoos, all of which were born in captivity.

Persons: ”, Kristine Gandia, ” Gandia, Gandia, “, zookeepers Organizations: CNN, University of Stirling, Gandia Locations: Scotland, China

☆ Tian Tian: Giant panda celebrates last birthday in DC zoo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The 26-year-old bear, Tian Tian, along with two other pandas in the zoo, are slated to leave by December 7. On Sunday, Tian Tian received a special “fruitsicle” cake made with fruits and vegetables with a “frosting” of sweet potatoes, mashed carrots and honey for his birthday, the museum said. The National Zoo’s Giant Panda Program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived at the zoo in the early 2000s and were originally supposed to stay for 10 years. According to the National Zoo, giant pandas have an estimated lifespan of about 15-20 years in the wild and about 30 years in human care.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Organizations: Washington CNN, Conservation Biology Institute, China Wildlife and Conservation Association, Panda Program, National Zoo Locations: United States, China

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