A pair of pandas eagerly awaited in Washington began a long journey from China to the US capital on Monday, the Chinese organization responsible for protecting the species announced.
Departing from the Chinese province of Sichuan, the male Bao Li and the female Qing Bao, both 3 years old, were placed in individual cages with a large supply of bamboo for the trip, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association and images broadcast by CNN.
These two mammals, with a strong diplomatic symbol, will be welcomed by the media today in Washington, as the city has not had any pandas for almost a year.
The pandas are traveling on a special plane, under constant veterinary supervision by a team of caretakers from Washington.
The announcement of the arrival of Bao Li and Qing Bao was made at the end of May by the US First Lady, Jill Biden, and the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
The Washington zoo is where the American public will be able to meet the new tenants in a few weeks, after they have completed the quarantine period and acclimatized to the capital's air.
Three previous pandas housed in Washington returned to China in November 2023.
The departure, after the end of a loan agreement, was widely perceived as reflecting tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The first pair of pandas was gifted by Beijing to the United States in 1972, following a historic visit by President Richard Nixon to Mao Zedong's communist China.
