The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to return giant pandas to China. What you need to know.

Visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have less than five months to say their farewells to the iconic giant pandas who’ve been at the zoo for nearly 23 years. The two adult giant pandas, Mei Xiang (female) and Tian Tian (male), and their cub Xiao Qi Ji (male) are returning to China by Dec. 7.

An agreement between the zoo and China Wildlife and Conservation Association brought the panda pair to the U.S. on December 6, 2000. The adult pandas were supposed to stay for a decade as part of a research and breeding agreement, but the program with China was extended several times.

The once-endangered species are now designated as “vulnerable,” following a population growth of nearly 17% between 2007 and 2017. The International Union for Conservation of Nature upgraded giant Pandas on the global list of species at risk of extinction, according the World Wildlife Fund. Only 1,864 wild pandas remain in the wild, mostly in China’s Sichuan Province.

History of giant pandas in US zoos

Over 50 years ago, The National Zoo received its first pandas from China, Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling, as an effort to save the species by breeding them. The Zoo’s giant panda team works closely with colleagues in China to advance conservation efforts around the world, according to the zoo’s conservation biology institute.

Mei Xiang has given birth to seven cubs while at the zoo. Four of her cubs are living, and three died before adulthood. As part of the agreement with China, cubs must be returned by age 4.

When Mei Xiang gave birth to Xiao Qi Ji in August of 2020, she became the oldest giant panda to have a cub in North America.