It’s official, Giant Pandas are coming back to Washington DC. Fans of the famous black and whites were dismayed when the international loan agreement expired and China called back the animals in residence at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo last November. However Panda Diplomacy is back and with a new agreement comes two new animals — Qing Bao and Bao Li (“grandchild” of former DC pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang). The pair, both 2 years old, are scheduled to make their American debut by the end of the year.

Their journey will undoubtedly be similar to the experience of the other pandas that traveled from China to the United States, including the two which arrived in Memphis in 2003. The transfer was documented in the program “On Assignment: Pandas in Black and White”, a show we produced while working for the National Geographic Channel.