The giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, as well as their child Xiao Qi Ji left the zoo in Washington DC on Wednesday. on his way back to a life of freedom in China. In the last weeks before they left, thousands of panda lovers from all over the United States flocked to the zoo to say goodbye. The actual departure date was kept secret for security reasons until the last, writes El Pais. Mei Xiang took an afternoon nap at the Washington Zoo during quieter times. Photo: Reuters “Panda Express” On Wednesday, the pandas were loaded into a large box and driven to the airport. In the box, they have over 100 kilos of bamboo to eat on the road. Some apples to calm them down if they get restless are also included, writes AFP. A veterinarian and two animal keepers from the zoo will be on the 19-hour flight to Chengdu. The three pandas started their journey from the zoo in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters Will live in a reserve Once in China, they will be released into a reserve in Sichuan province. In the misty mountain areas filled with bamboo forests, live the around 1,800 pandas who still have a life of freedom. Wild pandas live an average of 15 years, but in captivity some have reached 38 years of age. A few years ago there were only around 1,000 pandas alive, but active work has meant that the population has almost doubled. The box with the three pandas was loaded on board a Boeing 777. Photo: AFP Been in the USA for 23 years Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came to Washington in 2000. They were only two or three years old then, but now they are 25 and 26. Their first three children have been sent back to China and live in Sichuan. The fourth child Xiao Qi Ji – “Little miracle” in Norwegian – was born three years ago. The panda boy is now with his parents back in the USA. The first came in 1972. A policeman with a small stuffed panda at the airport outside Washington after the “Panda Express” had taken off. Photo: Reuters The first pandas came to the United States in 1972. They were a gift from China in connection with President Nixon’s visit to the country. The first pandas became very popular in the United States and helped improve relations between the countries. This led to the term “panda diplomacy” becoming known all over the world. The term has long traditions in China. The first time it is said to have been used was during the Tang Dynasty at the end of the 6th century. When the empress at the time sent two bears to the Japanese emperor. Facts about China’s panda diplomacy China’s use of panda bears (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) as gifts is also referred to as panda diplomacy. The first known instance of a panda bear being used in the diplomatic game occurred during the Tang Dynasty when Empress Wu Zetian (625–705) sent two pandas to the Japanese emperor. The tradition was resumed again in the 1950s. Between 1958 and 1982, 23 pandas were given from China to different countries. One of the more famous panda handovers took place after President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972. (NTB) Few pandas left in the USA The two pandas in 1972 were given as a gift. Since then, China has leased the bears to zoos in the United States and elsewhere in the world. After relations between the US and China have deteriorated in recent years, China has begun to demand its pandas back. Earlier this year, pandas were returned from zoos in San Diego and Memphis. After Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji left on Wednesday, only the Atlanta Zoo has pandas. The four pandas in Atlanta are scheduled to return next year. Then there will no longer be any peaceful pandas left in the United States.
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