National Zoo shares new video of giant pandas ahead of public debut in 2025
Zookeepers at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., caused quite a stir on Christmas Day when they released a new video of the zoo’s newest stars, Bao Li and Qing Bao. The two giant pandas are the newest cultural ambassadors given to the United States by China.
In the Instagram video, viewers can see the pandas rolling around, playing and getting familiar with their surroundings.
The young pandas are fresh out of quarantine after making their journey from a research facility in China to the National Zoo.
The giant bears have been settling into their new homes since October as zookeepers work to finish their enclosure.
“So we’ve been having some small crowds come through here … so that the pandas can get used to seeing people,” zookeeper Mariel Lally said.
The duo is on a 10-year lease through China’s diplomacy program. Just last year, all three of the zoo’s pandas were sent back to China as agreements expired and international conflict heightened.
The zoo hopes to start mating the pandas in a few years. The goal is to expand its program and usher in a new era of breeding.
The pandas officially make their debut in late January 2025. The National Zoo is also offering a panda cam to view the newest additions.
Panda diplomacy leads to millions going to China, with very little oversight
American zoos have sent tens of millions of dollars to China under the Endangered Species Act in what some have referred to as “panda diplomacy” over the past few decades. In exchange for the large amounts of money, China ships pandas, in pairs, to American zoos. The National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo are among them.
The money, by U.S. law, is supposed to be spent on protecting pandas in the wild. However, a New York Times investigation of thousands of pages of documents and interviews with dozens of witnesses indicates China has spent a lot of that money on things such as roads, apartment buildings and museums. In addition, China refused to explain where all the money goes.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees the American payments. It raised concerns with American zoo officials and froze payments on a few occasions. But zoo managers worried if the agency cut off payment to China, the Chinese would want their pandas back.
Such a move would cost American zoos revenue, visitors, media attention and sales of merchandise. As a result, federal regulators allowed the payments to continue.
A former Fish and Wildlife official is quoted by The New York Times as saying the Chinese felt it should not be of any concern to the United States how they were using the money.
The Times investigation found the pandas are often used for breeding more so than conservation efforts. In tracking financial reports, the probe found that $86 million has gone from American zoos to a pair of organizations run by the Chinese government. The investigation discovered that some of the money was used to help transform a panda breeding center in Western China into an attraction.
The Times examined recent contracts and found no mention of checking to see how China is spending the millions of dollars by the National Zoo or the San Diego Zoo. American regulators who have been to China said they did see some evidence of conservation there. However, they also said the pandas habitat is shrinking, and the animals have less territory to roam.
Giraffes may be next on endangered species list as population rapidly declines
Giraffes could soon be listed on the endangered species list. U.S. wildlife officials say that’s because multiple species of giraffe populations are declining rapidly.
Researchers point to the loss of habitat, poaching and climate change in their native land in Africa. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation about 117,000 wild giraffes are left worldwide – down almost 30% from the 1980s.
The population for the three subspecies of northern giraffe declined from 25,653 to 5,919, a 77% decrease since 1985. Listing many of the species as either endangered or threatened means they would receive federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.
Even though hunting giraffes is illegal in all but three countries in Africa, people still do it for meat and for trophy purposes.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, between 2006 and 2015, trophy hunters imported more than 3,700 giraffes into the U.S. The proposed rule would work toward cutting down illegal hunting and trade of giraffes by requiring a permit to import them into the U.S.
It would also expand funding for research and conservation efforts. A final decision on the endangered status of giraffes will happen in February.
Putin sends lions and bears to North Korea as ties strengthen
Russia has sent more than 70 animals to North Korea as a gift to its Pyongyang Central Zoo, highlighting growing ties between the two nations. The shipment included an African lion, two brown bears, two domestic yaks, 40 mandarin ducks, 25 pheasants and five white cockatoos.
Russian Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov accompanied the animals on a government plane and described the gesture as a symbol of “support, kindness and care” between the two countries.
The animals are currently in quarantine and will move to enclosures at the zoo, a landmark in Pyongyang since 1959. Russian state media called the shipment “Vladimir Putin’s gift to the Korean people.”
Western nations have expressed concerns this burgeoning partnership could lead to North Korea gaining advanced military technologies from Russia, potentially enhancing its missile programs. Pyongyang, facing severe economic challenges and international sanctions, has increasingly relied on Moscow for support.
The growing alliance has included multiple symbolic gestures. Earlier this year, Putin gifted Kim 24 purebred horses in apparent gratitude for artillery support provided by North Korea. Kim also received a Russian-made luxury limousine and other gifts during a visit to Russia.
Chinese aquarium accused of misleading visitors with robotic whale shark display
Xiaomeisha Ocean World in China is under scrutiny after it was revealed that the whale shark featured in its exhibits is actually a robotic model, not a live animal. The revelation has sparked a wave of negative reviews from visitors who felt deceived by the aquarium’s advertising, with some demanding refunds after learning that the whale shark was not real.
The aquarium defended its choice, explaining that it invested millions of yuan in the development of the robotic whale shark to comply with wildlife protection laws that restrict the trade and capture of real whale sharks, the world’s largest fish species. Only around 20 whale sharks are kept in captivity worldwide, making them a rare sight in aquariums.
Xiaomeisha Ocean World said in a statement that its robotic whale shark exhibit aimed to “inspire everyone to understand the animals and their environment” and “with the aim of protecting the ecological environment.”
This incident follows another Chinese wildlife display accused of misleading tourists. Earlier this year, the Taizhou Zoo sparked a viral controversy when it was revealed staff had dyed a pair of chow chow dogs black and white to look like pandas.
2 giant pandas from China on the way to Washington
Eleven months after the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Said goodbye to its giant pandas, two new ones are on their way. The pair of giant pandas have officially left a research facility in China and are set to be flown to D.C., according to Chinese officials.
It’s not yet clear when they’ll arrive. The zoo’s website still says new pandas will be coming by the end of the year, however, on Monday, Oct. 14, the Zoo did announce it will be closed Tuesday, Oct. 15, for “the safety of the pandas and staff.”
Harris, Trump turn to PA with 3 weeks to go until Election Day
With exactly three weeks until Election Day, both candidates have their sights set on Pennsylvania. And NASA has launched its ambitious plan to visit the largest planet in our solar system in hopes of making a new discovery. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
Harris, Trump turn to PA with 3 weeks to go until Election Day
With just three weeks until Election Day, the 2024 presidential candidates are focusing on the key battleground states — and none may be as important as Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took their message once again to the Keystone State on Monday, Oct. 14, each believing that if they win Pennsylvania, they will win the election.
Harris held a rally in the northwestern city of Erie, where Trump visited a few weeks ago. The vice president painted her opponent as a threat to American democracy, warning her supporters of what she calls the dangers of another Trump presidency.
“I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous,” she said. “Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged, and he is out for unchecked power. That’s what he’s looking for.”
Harris also urged Pennsylvanians to get out to vote early as mail-in voting is now underway in the state.
Also Monday, former President Trump spoke during a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He touched on claims he’s a threat to democracy.
“When they talk about a threat to democracy, how about where they take a candidate who won fair and square, they throw them out and they put up a woman who failed, was the first one to drop out of a field of 22 and got no votes?” he said. “And this is the person we’re running against. And she is not a smart woman. That’s true. And we cannot — we’ve had that for four years. We’re not going to have it for another four years.”
Trump cut his town hall short after two attendees required medical attention, with both the former president and moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem commenting on the heat in the venue. Trump then requested music be played for the remainder of the event.
Trump will be back in Georgia on Tuesday as the focus on the battleground states intensifies.
Along with rallies, the candidates are continuing their media tour to reach voters. The vice president will take part in a town hall Tuesday, Oct. 15, hosted by the radio program “The Breakfast Club” and then she will appear on Fox News on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
The group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a sit-in demanding an end to U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas. While none of the protesters got into the stock exchange, dozens did cross the security fence put in place by police.
A New York Police Department spokesperson said officers arrested 206 people.
Since the war in Gaza started just over a year ago, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and almost the entire population has been displaced, according to Gaza health officials.
North Carolina man arrested for allegedly threatening FEMA workers
Investigators in North Carolina arrested and charged a man with threatening to harm FEMA workers who were helping parts of the state devastated by Hurricane Helene.
According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, William Parsons, 44, is charged with “going armed to the terror of the public” — a misdemeanor.
In a statement, the sheriff said while initial reports indicated there was a group of armed militia members threatening FEMA workers, they found Parsons acted alone. Officials said he did have a handgun and a rifle in his possession when arrested.
The arrest followed misinformation and disinformation being spread about FEMA in the wake of the natural disaster and caused FEMA to change the way it was working to help people impacted by Helene because of concerns over workers’ safety.
NASA launches mission to find signs of life on Jupiter moon
The mission, dubbed Europa Clipper, started its long journey to Jupiter’s fourth largest moon on Monday. It’s expected to enter the planet’s orbit in 2030 after a flight of 1.8 billion miles.
Pair of giant pandas set to arrive at the National Zoo
Eleven months after the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Said goodbye to its giant pandas, two new ones are on their way. The pair of giant pandas have officially left a research facility in China and are set to be flown to D.C., according to Chinese officials.
It’s not yet clear when they’ll arrive. The zoo’s website still says new pandas will be coming by the end of the year, however, on Monday, the Zoo did announce it will be closed Tuesday for the safety of the pandas and staff.
The return of panda diplomacy between China and the U.S. has already seen a pair delivered to the San Diego Zoo with another promised to San Francisco.
2,471-pound pumpkin wins world championship
A 2,471-pound pumpkin won the 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off Monday in Half Moon Bay, California, south of San Francisco, defeating its closest competitor by six pounds.
National Zoo gets 2 new giant pandas with $10 million from David Rubenstein
As the National Zoo prepares for the arrival of two new pandas later this year, it’s getting some major financial support. The donor is local philanthropist David Rubenstein, who announced on Tuesday, Sept. 17, a $10 million pledge to support the zoo’s giant panda conservation program.
Back in May, the Smithsonian Institution was preparing for the return of pandas following the departure of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian last year. Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, has been a long time supporter of the zoo’s panda program. His total contributions have amounted to $22 million over more than a decade.
National Zoo Director Brandie Smith praised the philanthropist’s commitment, saying his contributions have transformed the panda program. She added that conservation is a global effort, bigger than one person or organization.
In anticipation of the arrival of the zoo’s newest pandas this fall, the giant panda habitat is undergoing renovations. The new residents, Bao Li and Qing Bao are expected to arrive on a 10-year lease from China.
The zoo hopes the new pandas will eventually mate and add to the growing panda family. More pandas will help support the program, which has been a part of the Smithsonian for over 50 years.
While the zoo hasn’t announced an official arrival date for the pandas, excitement is building for their return.
London Zoo becomes latest to remove Banksy street mural for protection
The London Zoo has taken action to preserve a new street mural by the elusive street artist, Banksy. The artwork, which mysteriously appeared on the zoo’s gate, shows a gorilla lifting up part of the gate, allowing birds and a sea lion to escape. It quickly became a hit with visitors, drawing large crowds.
The zoo’s chief operating officer said the zoo is incredibly grateful to Banksy for putting wildlife in the spotlight. Zoo officials called it a significant moment in the zoo’s history. After just five days, the zoo decided to remove the mural in order to preserve it. It covered the original work with a reproduction and added a sign, which reads, “Banksy woz ere.”
Banksy’s representative told The Observer that the mural, like his other recent works, is meant to be uplifting during tough times. It’s part of a larger series focused on animals.
The series has seen some pieces stolen recently, or removed for safekeeping. One of the pieces included a wolf howling on a satellite dish. The piece was stolen just hours after Banksy confirmed it as his work. Theft in the art world may not be new, but selling stolen artwork isn’t so simple.
The lack of a proper certificate of authenticity can cause a stolen Banksy to sell for far less than its legitimate market price. For that reason, earlier this year, two collectors took legal action against the artist.
The collectors argue that Banksy’s refusal to authenticate his works was harming the value of his art. Some experts believe that this situation is more about market manipulation than authenticity. A leading specialist in graffiti art believes Banksy will only verify works for certain individuals.
Many, including Banksy himself, argue that these works belong to the public and they shouldn’t be removed for personal or commercial use. To preserve that accessibility, Banksy rarely certifies his street pieces as officially his.
For now, the London Zoo will relocate this most recent mural to a safe place, in case of further thievery.
The San Diego Zoo’s newest giant pandas are on their way from China, marking the first time Beijing is loaning pandas to the U.S. in two decades. It’s the beginning of a new era in “panda diplomacy.”
Four-year-old male panda Yun Chuan and soon-to-be four-year-old female panda Xin Bao left China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday, June 26, for a ten-year stay in the U.S. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who attended the farewell in China, highlighted this as a key conservation partnership.
Zoo officials said the pandas won’t be viewable to the public for a few weeks as they get used to their new surroundings.
I’m honored to have been invited to join in the farewell ceremonies in China for Yun Chuan and Xin Bao — the giant pandas coming to our @sandiegozoo!
This is a historic conservation partnership that will help protect these magnificent creatures and their habitat. 🐼 pic.twitter.com/p76ZJjNPJP
— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) June 26, 2024
The panda loan marks a step forward for relations between the U.S. and China as they try to repair ties strained by disputes over trade, technology, the status of Taiwan and other issues between the world’s two largest economies.
