The National Zoo's long dark panda drought seems to be coming to an end. Eleven months after the Washington, DC, zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas—Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji—back to China, a new pair of bears is set to arrive, the AP reports. A pair of three-year old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, have left a research facility in the southwestern Chinese city of Dujiangyan and will soon be flown to Washington, according to a statement by the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
"Food prepared for the trip includes corn bread, bamboo and carrots, as well as water and medicine," the statement said, adding that the partnership will "make new contributions in protecting global biodiversity and enhance the friendship of the people from the two countries." It's unclear exactly when the bears will arrive in Washington, but there will likely be an extended quarantine and acclimation period before they are introduced to the public. On Monday evening, the zoo's website posted an alert that the entire facility would be closed Tuesday, without giving a reason. The lead article on the site still said the pandas would be coming sometime before the end of the year. (The pandas arrive in Washington as part of a new 10-year agreement with Chinese authorities.)
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