Zoo Atlanta introduces giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang to the public
By Madeline Montgomery
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ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — Zoo Atlanta is introducing its new giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to the public Friday. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 8 a.m.
The 6-year-old pandas arrived in Atlanta in late September, nearly two years after the zoo’s previous giant pandas returned to China. Before their public debut, the pair went through quarantine and had time to get used to their new habitat.
The upgraded habitat includes larger indoor areas for hot or cold weather, expanded outdoor spaces, new climbing structures, pools and waterfalls.
“It took them a little while to get used to the new environment, new people, new animal care staff,” said Gina Ferrie, Zoo Atlanta’s vice president of collections and conservation.
Ferrie said the pandas have settled in and are enjoying the zoo’s bamboo. They’ve also adjusted to other foods, including biscuits and apples.
Zoo Atlanta’s history with giant pandas Under Zoo Atlanta’s previous agreement with China, which ended in 2024, Lun Lun and Yang Yang had seven cubs, the zoo said. The pair and their two youngest offspring left Atlanta for China in October 2024, joining their five other offspring there.
Ferrie said the zoo works with animal care teams, scientists and veterinarians in China. “We share ideas, we collaborate on science projects,” she said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the latest partnership would help improve the pandas’ health and well-being, protect biodiversity and strengthen ties between the Chinese and American people.
Giant pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China relations since Beijing gave a pair to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in 1972. China has long used panda loans to build ties with other countries.
Zoo Atlanta is one of three U.S. zoos with giant pandas. The other two, the National Zoo and the San Diego Zoo, both received pandas from China in 2024.
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