WASHINGTON: No matter the distance or the weather, Jane Christensen was determined to see the giant pandas before they left Washington. Now in her 60s, Christensen told AFP she had been captured by the species' magical cuteness over a half-century ago, when
WASHINGTON: No matter the distance or the weather, Jane Christensen was determined to see the giant pandas before they left Washington.
The zoo has kicked off a week-long"Panda Palooza" event ahead of the departure, welcoming thousands of fans, many outfitted in panda-themed hats and shirts. "We've been watching on the live cam every day leading up to this point," said Heidi Greco, who travelled hours by car from Ohio with her family.
"When I heard that these pandas were leaving, and the Atlanta Zoo pandas were leaving, and there would be no panda bears left in all of North America ... one very old one in Mexico, I was really, really upset," said Greco.An exhibit outlines the Smithsonian zoo's successful giant panda breeding program. Pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived in Washington in 2000, and have since had four surviving cubs. Xiao Qi Ji was born in 2020 and will also depart by December.
The pandas' departure"closes a major chapter of an international animal care and conservation success story", the zoo said in a statement, adding that it"remains committed to continuing its efforts to secure and safeguard a healthy future for giant pandas".
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