The Giant Pandas Have Landed!

 Zoo Atlanta is overjoyed to announce that giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang have landed in Atlanta. The pandas arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on September 27, 2026, via a dedicated “FedEx Panda Express” Boeing 777 aircraft. FedEx generously donated the transportation.   

The pandas are in Atlanta through a new International Cooperative Research Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation initiated between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Zoo Atlanta is now one of three zoos in the U.S. to house giant pandas and is the only zoological organization in the Southeast the species will call home.  

“This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO. “We are elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and could not be more excited about sharing that joy with our Members, guests, city, and community in the coming weeks. Zoo Atlanta is honored to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to see important work continue toward the conservation of giant pandas, which is the most important benefit of guarding this species.” 

About Ping Ping and Fu Shuang 

Male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang (pronounced Foo Shwong) were born in China at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding on March 17, 2020, and October 18, 2020, respectively.  

Ping Ping’s name is part of a name given at birth to him and his twin brother, representing a blessing for a smooth and healthy life. Fu Shuang’s name comes from “Fu Lu,” a reference to her and her mother and meaning “happiness”.  

What happens next?  

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are not yet visible. The bears will be housed in a biosecure area of Zoo Atlanta’s new giant panda complex for a routine quarantine period of around a month. Zoo Atlanta will make exciting future announcements about the new arrivals, including the name of their new home, design details of their expanded habitat, and the date when Members and guests can expect to see them.  

A continuing history of conservation partnership

Once classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), giant pandas were reclassified to Vulnerable in 2016. Of nearly 1,900 giant pandas remaining in the wild, 72% are strictly protected on nature reserves. Dating to the 1990s when the Zoo Atlanta initiated the first round of giant panda conservation cooperation with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding as its Signature Partner, support from the Zoo has benefited habitat restoration, nature reserve management, and ranger support in China. At the same time, mutually beneficial outcomes have been witnessed in fields of rare and endangered species conservation and breeding, scientific research, and public education while fostering friendship between the peoples of the two countries.  

The Chinese government has invested a significant amount of human, material, and financial resources to continuously strengthen the restoration and protection of wild giant panda habitat and has gradually established 67 giant panda reserves. In 2021, with the newly established Giant Panda National Park as the mainstay, a holistic habitat protection system at the national level took shape to further improve the connectivity, coordination, and integrity of giant panda habitat. 

A new era for a source of Atlanta pride  

Zoo Atlanta’s original giant panda agreement with China, originated in 1999 and concluded in 2024, resulted in a highly productive 25 years of partnership, with seven offspring born to the pair Lun Lun and Yang Yang between 2006 and 2016. Lun Lun, Yang Yang, and their two youngest offspring, Ya Lun and Xi Lun, departed Atlanta for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in October 2024; the pair’s first five offspring also reside there.  

In addition to these accomplishments, which included the successful rearing of two sets of twins, Zoo Atlanta’s partnership with colleagues in China forged a longtime history of collaboration and information exchange toward shared goals of the professional care of pandas and science benefiting the species. 

Photo courtesy of FedEx