At 08:55 US Eastern time on September 27, 2026 (20:55 Beijing time), giant pandas Ping Ping (平平, studbook 1230) and Fu Shuang (福双, studbook 1250) arrived safely at Zoo Atlanta aboard the charter flight that had departed Chengdu earlier that day.
After the plane landed, Chinese and American veterinarians and keepers carried out a joint inspection, and both pandas were reported to be in good health. Following quarantine-clearance and customs formalities, the pair was transferred to Zoo Atlanta to begin their quarantine and inspection period.
Chinese veterinarians and keepers will stay at the zoo for three months, caring for the two pandas through the quarantine period, carrying out stress-adaptation and behavior training, and helping them adapt to their new environment as quickly as possible.
In the first days of quarantine, Ping Ping adapted well overall — good spirits and activity levels, near-ideal food intake, and already familiar with his new surroundings. Fu Shuang, more cautious by nature, remained a little nervous under the impact of the long journey and the change of environment, and is still getting to know her surroundings, with her daily food intake steadily increasing.
Zoo Atlanta's climate is close to Chengdu's, with conditions well suited to bamboo growth and a year-round stable supply of fresh bamboo. The American side has prepared seven bamboo species for the two pandas, at roughly 50 kilograms of bamboo per panda per day. Chinese and American vets and keepers are monitoring the pair closely and adjusting their care to the pandas' actual condition, providing a quiet, comfortable environment that helps them gradually build a sense of security. During quarantine, each panda's spirits, activity, food intake, excretion and body weight are observed and recorded daily, with ongoing health monitoring.
The China–US giant panda conservation partnership already spans more than twenty years; over that time the two teams, long practiced in working together, have bred and raised five litters totaling seven surviving cubs.
Zoo Atlanta staff have since taken reporters' questions, updating the public on the two pandas' condition and on when they will be opened to public viewing.
