CHENGDU, Sichuan — The giant pandas are officially back home in China. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji landed Thursday morning in Chengdu after making a 19-hour trans-Pacific flight from D.C., with a brief stop in Alaska to refuel.
A FedEx "Panda Express" plane took the pandas on the journey.
Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived from China in 2000. They have four surviving cubs. Their departure brings an end to a 50-year relationship between China and the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
“Millions have connected with and grown up loving Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cubs by visiting us in Washington, D.C., and watching our Giant Panda Cam,” said Brandie Smith, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of NZCBI. “Caring for one animal and its future is the beginning of caring more deeply for the natural world and our place in it. Although this farewell is bittersweet, we must celebrate these bears and their impact on fans and on our understanding, care and conservation of their species."
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