The panda era at the National Zoo may be coming to an end, according to seasoned observers in China, and this is part of a larger trend. As agreements with various Western zoos expire, Beijing seems to be progressively removing its pandas, amidst high diplomatic tensions with several Western governments.
With the stated goal of better protecting the vulnerable species, Beijing currently lends out 65 pandas to 19 countries through “cooperative research programs.” The National Zoo’s bears left the country in 2019, leaving the Atlanta Zoo as the only place where giant pandas remain in the United States; the San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the loan agreement at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo expired late in 2019.
Chinese-American flashpoints include the embargo on Chinese nationals and officials, the import ban on semiconductors from China, the allegations that Chinese-made fentanyl is saturating American cities, the suspicion that China owns the social media site TikTok, and the controversy that erupted early this year over a Chinese balloon floating over the country.
A perfect panda storm occurred earlier this year when Le Le, a 24-year-old male panda on loan to the Memphis Zoo, passed away unexpectedly in February. In the wild, pandas typically live 15 to 20 years, but those kept in captivity frequently reach around 30 years old.
Following Le Le’s untimely demise, there was a social media frenzy in China, particularly on Weibo, where there were numerous claims that the Memphis zoo had mistreated the bear and its female companion, Ya Ya. The campaign gained momentum when images of Ya Ya appeared on the Internet, showing her to be dirty and thin (compared to pandas) with splotchy fur.
Table of Contents
What is the Panda Diplomacy of China?
There are roughly 1,800 pandas in the wild in China, but the country also has at least 65 more that are loaned out to just over 20 other countries.
China had been presenting the bears as diplomatic gifts since the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The practice, sometimes known as “panda diplomacy,” has persisted into this century.
In 1972, the US acquired its first pandas after First Lady Pat Nixon mentioned her fondness for the animals at a state dinner in China. Panda diplomacy had evolved by 1984. The bears were lent for a minimum of ten years, with the option to renew the loan, rather than being given as gifts. By switching to panda lending, China was able to maintain its international image promotion efforts while also fostering “guanxi,” the Mandarin word for trust.
It was believed that lending pandas would strengthen ties between China and the recipient nations. Upon payment of an annual fee of approximately $1 million per bear, host countries would be required to return panda cubs born overseas to China prior to their fourth birthday.
Why are the pandas returning, and no extensions are expected?
The three black and white bears in the Washington case will be returned to China when the loan agreement expires in December. Three extensions had already been granted to the agreement. For the first time in fifty years, the United States will be free of pandas when the four that are still at the Atlanta Zoo are sent back the following year if there is no extension. Before the year ends, panda bears from Scotland and Australia will likewise return home.
It is not shocking that Chinese authorities are permitting panda contracts with US zoos to expire, given the current state of US-China relations. Beijing is not happy with the US’s decision to sell defense equipment to Taiwan’s military, despite the US having robust trade agreements with that country.
It wouldn’t be the first time that bears have served as a symbol of underlying political tensions if the return of the pandas is indeed caused by deteriorating relations. Following President Barack Obama’s meeting with the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, bears that had been shipped to the US in 2010 were returned. Additionally, China temporarily stopped supplying newly leased bears to Malaysia in 2013 following the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which caused tensions between the two countries.
On Wednesday, on a cloudless autumn morning, trucks carried the two adult bears, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their 3-year-old cub, Xiao Qi Ji, into separate metal crates, which they later boarded a FedEx Boeing 777 nicknamed the Panda Express. Their departure was accompanied by all the fanfare of the presidential motorcades that speed through Washington, DC: police guards, cheering spectators, and pursuing reporters.
The plane departed Dulles International Airport for China after loading up with two zookeepers, a veterinarian, and 220 pounds of bamboo. The trip would take 19 hours. There, in the misty mountains of Sichuan Province, the bears will meet up with roughly 150 other pandas in a lush nature preserve.
