Panda-monium will soon be returning to the nation's capital.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced Wednesday that two giant pandas — Bao Li, a 2-year-old male, and Qing Bao, a 2-year-old female — will arrive before the end of the year.

What You Need To Know

  • Two giant pandas will be arriving at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., before the end of the year

  • A pair of 2-year-old cubs, Bao Li, a male, and Qing Bao, a female, are headed to the nation's capital, the national zoo announced 

  • Bao Li's mother, Bao Bao, was born at the National Zoo in 2013 and lived there for four years before moving to China; his grandparents are Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, a pair of giant pandas who lived at the National Zoo from 2000 until they returned to China last year, leaving the nation's capital panda-less for the first time in decades

  • The United States has a long history of hosting giant pandas from China, dating back to 1972 when the Nixons welcomed Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing to the National Zoo

First lady Jill Biden, alongside Smithsonian Secretary Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch III and Dr. Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, made the announcement in a video on Wednesday.

"We can't wait to celebrate this historic moment here in our nation's capital," Dr. Biden says in the video. "Join us! It's official: The pandas are coming back to D.C."

"The Smithsonian and the China Wildlife Conservation Association have reached a 10 year cooperative breeding and research agreement to four giant pandas," said Dr. Smith at an event later Wednesday, calling the pandas' impending arrival "not just an exciting event," but "proof positive of the success of our giant panda program."

"This is a continuation of one of the most successful conservation programs on the planet," Dr. Smith said in an interview with Spectrum News.

Bao Li, pronounced BOW-lee, means "treasure" and "vitality" in Mandarin Chinese, according to the zoo; Qing Bao, pronounced ching-BOW, means "green" and "treasure."

Bao Li has deep ties to Washington already. His mother, Bao Bao, was born at the National Zoo in 2013 and lived there for four years before moving to China. His grandparents, of course, are Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, a pair of giant pandas who lived at the National Zoo from 2000 until they returned to China last year, leaving the nation's capital panda-less for the first time in decades. 

"These are animals that we spend our lives with," Dr. Smith said. "We actually joke, the keepers joke, that we know these pandas as well as we know our own kids. These are animals we spend our lives with, and so welcoming these pandas back, we're excited to have pandas at the zoo, but we are going to get to know this new pair of animals to learn who they are, they're going to be part of our family, and we just can't wait."

The departure of the pandas last year was a sad moment for the nation's capital, but Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that pandas would return, calling the animals "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples."

"When the pandas left last year, we were all heartbroken," Dr. Smith said. "I was optimistic. I was certain we're going to get pandas back, but if you'd asked me, I'd say two, maybe three years. And I think it's really a testament to our relationship with our colleagues in China that the conversations have gone so quickly and we're able to welcome pandas back to the National Zoo so soon."

The news about the new D.C. pandas follows an announcement from the San Diego Zoo over the weekend that it would soon be welcoming two giant pandas of its own in the coming weeks, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. 

"It's a testament to the success of this program," Dr. Smith told Spectrum News. "This program is really about cooperation and collaboration to save an endangered species., that's what we're doing ... we're making more pandas, we're saving panda habitats, but we're also sharing giant pandas with the world. More people will see them, they'll care about them, they'll love them, they'll want to save them. They'll start with pandas and then they'll want to save everything else."

Earlier this month, Zoo Atlanta said that it was making preparations for its four giant pandas -- Lun Lun and Yang Yang, and their twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun -- to depart for China toward the end of the year, raising fears that the U.S. could be entirely without pandas.

The United States has a long history of hosting the vulnerable animals from China, also known colloquially as "panda diplomacy." The tradition dates back to 1972, when then-President Richard Nixon and first lady Pat Nixon had dinner with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during a state visit to Beijing. When Mrs. Nixon expressed her fondness for the animal, Premier Enlai gifted giant pandas Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing to the American people. Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing had five cubs, none of which survived. Ling-Ling died in 1992, and Hsing-Hsing died in 1999. While they were at the National Zoo, they attracted millions of visitors each year.