Giant pandas’ arrival in Atlanta brings emotional memories for late FedEx worker’s family
By Allie Ware
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JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — Two giant pandas arrived in Atlanta last weekend on a special flight from China, marking a significant moment for the Lange family as they remembered their late father, David Lange, who played a key role in panda transports for over 30 years.
“My group is in charge of special charter work,” Lange said in 2024 about his work with FedEx, where his team began transporting pandas in 2010 as part of a partnership program between China and the United States.
“Since we started this, they were an endangered species, and now they are not,” Lange said.
For his wife and daughters, witnessing the pandas’ arrival was a deeply personal experience.
“I felt like I got to see my dad again, and that was really awesome,” daughter Lauren Lange Risner said.
“Just to be able to be there and see what he did with the people he worked with and see how big a deal it really is was really special,” daughter Jessica Lange Smith said.
The family described the event’s precise coordination, which added to the significance of the moment.
“From the red carpet to even them getting in at a certain time, like we had been sitting there in the dark, then the sun starts to come up, and the plane lands—everything was so perfectly down to the minute,” Risner said.
The pandas have become a meaningful symbol for the Lange family, as David would bring back panda-themed souvenirs for his children and grandchildren after every transport.
The family even visited the zoo after the pandas’ arrival to continue the tradition.
For the Lange family, the pandas’ arrival was not just a special event but a heartfelt memory tied to the work their father loved.
The pandas will remain in quarantine for a month before officially greeting visitors in their new habitat at Zoo Atlanta.
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