Disappointment, tears at National Zoo after giant pandas leave for China
Disappointment, tears at National Zoo after giant pandas leave for China
A sign along the National Zoo’s Asia Trail outside the Giant Panda Habitat confirmed what many visitors already suspected. The Zoo's most famous residents, giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, were already gone.
WASHINGTON - A sign along the National Zoo's Asia Trail outside the Giant Panda Habitat confirmed what many visitors already suspected Wednesday morning. The Zoo's most famous residents, giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, were already gone.
"Thanks for your support and interest in our giant panda program," read the sign. "Our three giant pandas are now living in China."
READ MORE: Giant pandas land safely in China marking end of an era in DC
Originally scheduled to leave at the end of the zoo's exchange agreement with the Chinese government in December, the panda's departure was first moved up to mid-November. Then on Wednesday, the zoo announced that the pandas were beginning their journey to China that morning.
READ MORE: DC's giant pandas depart National Zoo for China
The pandas were already in their specially designed transport crates by the time reporters gathered outside the exhibit. They were moved by forklift and placed into FedEx trucks destined for Dulles International Airport. By the afternoon, the pandas had been loaded into the FedEx Panda Express, a custom-decaled Boeing 777F aircraft, and were ready for the 19-hour flight to China.
"I feel devastated. I really wish they were here. I got this from the store, and his name was ‘little miracle,'" a young visitor told FOX 5's Bob Barnard on Wednesday, referring to the meaning behind Xiao Qi Ji's name. The Browning family is from Arlington and had made plans on Tuesday to visit Wednesday morning for a last look at the pandas.
"We will really miss them," mom said. "I've lived here all my life, and I thought that pandas actually came from here when I was tiny. It didn't even occur to me that they could possibly leave."
Another family flew in from Minneapolis especially to see the giant pandas. "We arrived yesterday afternoon, late yesterday afternoon, and we bummed around a little bit, showed up this morning at the zoo bright and early. In time for opening. And learned we did not make it," the mother said.
READ MORE: Departure of DC's beloved pandas may signal wider Chinese pullback
A sign along the National Zoos Asia Trail outside the Giant Panda Habitat confirmed what many visitors already suspected. The Zoos most famous residents, giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, were already gone.
She said there were plenty of tears. "That's why I wished we had left on Monday, so we could see them on Tuesday," said one of her young boys. "I kind of started crying because I never got to see a panda in person. Which is why I hope they come back after winter."
The zoo's exchange agreement with the Chinese government, originally brokered by President Richard Nixon 50 years ago, was set to expire in December. Ongoing negotiations to extend the agreement did not produce results.
Many speculate that Beijing is gradually pulling its pandas from Western nations due to deteriorating diplomatic relations with the U.S. and other countries.
The departure of the National Zoo's pandas means that the only giant pandas left in America are at the Atlanta Zoo. That loan agreement expires late next year.