ATLANTA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang made their public debut on Friday at Zoo Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Before meeting the public, the panda pair spent more than a month in quarantine, adjusting to the new bamboo, new caretakers and new environment.
They arrived in the southern U.S. city on a chartered flight on Sept. 27, marking the return of Chinese giant pandas after nearly two years. The last pair of giant pandas and their offspring returned to China from Zoo Atlanta in October 2024.
The new pandas are expected to stay here for 10 years.
"We have added many enhancements to their habitat, including new day rooms that have much more room and very top-of-the-line zoological lighting and floors and other conditions to give them the best welfare," Gina Ferrie, vice president of collections and conservation at Zoo Atlanta, told Xinhua after the pair's arrival.
China and Zoo Atlanta have collaborated on giant panda conservation research for more than two decades, including the birth of seven giant panda cubs in five litters.
Giant pandas have become a symbol of friendship between China and the United States, David Firestein, president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, said. ■