WTOP NEWS: The day finally came that keepers at the Smithsonian National Zoo knew would eventually arrive — and not just for the last few weeks or months, but really since day one. It was always a matter of when, not if the zoo’s Giant pandas would return to China, and so zoo staff has always been preparing them for it.
The pandas are expected to arrive in China on Thursday, and after landing they’ll be in a 30-day quarantine. But from there, the environment does have some differences from what they were used to at the National Zoo in D.C.
“They are incredible, beautiful habitats, wonderful food,” said Brandie Smith, the director of the National Zoo. “I actually think they’re going to like the bamboo the best. It’s a whole different species of bamboo they’re going to really enjoy.”
But it’s not just the food that will be different.
“They’re much more hands-on in their care style, like actually, literally hands-on in China. And so, with our animals, when they were growing up, we were preparing them for a life in China. So we’ve been very hands-on, very interactive with these animals,” Smith said.
For baby cubs like Xiao Qi Ji, that means holding them as babies and being hands-on during exams. But for older, adult pandas, you can’t just go into their habitats with them.
“But we’re very interactive with them … scratching them through the mesh, or making sure [when] touching them when we do a blood draw or any of our other procedures,” said Smith.
Which then begs the question — which very, very few of us know the answer to — what does a panda feel like?
“A lot of people think Giant pandas would be silky soft, but they’re not,” said Smith. “They’re adapted for their environment. They live in a cold, harsh environment. They’ve got to be protected from it. I compare them to sheep. So if anybody’s ever felt a sheep, they feel like a sheep.”
When you consider that wild pandas tend to live in mountainous, forested areas, this makes sense.
“It’s tough, woolly, wiry, but it’s still fun to touch them,” said Smith, with a smile.
The panda program from China has been used for diplomacy. In recent years, China has lent out pandas to Russia and Qatar. But diplomatic relations with the United States have been a little rockier.
But Smith, who repeatedly touted the success of the 50-year conservation program, which saw Giant pandas improve from the endangered species list to what’s considered “a vulnerable species,” remains hopeful.
“I can’t imagine Washington, D.C. without Giant pandas,” said Smith. “And we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to bring Giant pandas back to the zoo.”
