Giant Pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang Arrive at Zoo Atlanta for 10-Year Stay

Two giant pandas from China arrived in Atlanta yesterday, local time, beginning a new 10-year conservation partnership that brings the animals back to Zoo Atlanta after a two-year absence.

Male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport aboard a dedicated FedEx Boeing 777 before being transferred to Zoo Atlanta. Both were reported to be in good health after arrival.

The pandas will spend about a month in routine quarantine in a biosecure section of the zoo’s newly expanded giant panda complex and will not immediately be visible to visitors. Zoo Atlanta said it will later announce the name and design details of their new habitat, as well as the date of their public debut.

“This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in the zoo’s announcement. He said the zoo was “elated” to welcome the pandas and honored to continue working with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on giant panda conservation.

Ping Ping, born March 17, 2020, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, is known for his large dark eye patches and sturdy build. He is an active climber and often rests in trees. Fu Shuang, born October 18, 2020, has a small tuft of fluffy hair on her head and is described as alert and particularly skilled at finding food hidden by keepers, according to the breeding center.

Chinese veterinarians and keepers are expected to remain at the zoo for about three months to help the pair through quarantine and adjustment, including behavioral training and adaptation to their new surroundings.

Their arrival marks the start of a new 10-year International Cooperative Research Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

Zoo Atlanta previously housed giant pandas for 25 years, beginning in 1999. Its previous pair, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, and their two youngest offspring returned to China in October 2024 when that agreement ended. Seven cubs were born at the zoo during the earlier partnership.

The return of pandas leaves Zoo Atlanta as one of three US zoos currently housing the species and the only one in the southeast, according to the zoo.