Atlanta, Georgia: Giant Pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang Make Their Public Debut at Zoo Atlanta

ATLANTA, Georgia (Orbit Post) Giant pandas returned to public view in Atlanta on Friday, November 6, when Ping Ping and Fu Shuang made their public debut at Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta News First reported. Visitors could see the pair in person starting at 10:30 a.m. in the new Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove, after an opening ceremony that morning.

Two bears, back after two years

Ping Ping, a male whose name means peace, and Fu Shuang, a female whose name means double blessing, were both born in 2020 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China, Atlanta News First reported. Ping Ping was born on March 17, 2020 and Fu Shuang on October 18, 2020, according to the zoo's published details. The pair arrived in Atlanta on September 27 on a special FedEx Panda Express flight and finished a month-long quarantine to adjust to their new home before the debut.

The debut ends a two-year absence. China recalled its pandas from United States zoos in 2024, including Zoo Atlanta's Lun Lun and Yang Yang and their two youngest cubs, after a 25-year loan agreement expired, Atlanta News First reported. The new pair is in Atlanta on a 10-year loan under an International Cooperative Research Agreement on Giant Panda Conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

A $6 million new home

Their habitat underwent a $6 million makeover to prepare for their arrival, including new climbing structures and pools in the dayrooms, water features and a sculpture, Atlanta News First reported. The expanded Grove adds larger indoor dayrooms and outdoor climbing features, according to the zoo's opening account. Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King called the opening a momentous occasion in the zoo's history in a statement carried in opening coverage.

State Representative-elect Kenn Collier, whose District 62 includes the area, was among the crowd at the ceremony and said the debut means a lot for local families and young people, recalling the excitement when the first pandas came during his own childhood, Atlanta News First reported.

One of three zoos in the country

With the opening, Zoo Atlanta is one of only three facilities in the United States housing giant pandas, and the only one in the Southeast, joining the San Diego Zoo and the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington. Visitors can tell the pair apart by their faces: Fu Shuang has a rounder face framed by a ridge of fur between her ears, while Ping Ping is larger and shows a Y pattern down the bridge of his nose, according to the zoo's published guide.