Giant pandas preparing for trip to United States capital

	VIDEO
China sends two pandas from a reserve to the U.S. National Zoo in Washington Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

SICHUAN PROVINCE, China -- The U.S. National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is looking forward to some new guests -- a pair of giant pandas from China. A female panda named Mei Xiang, and her male partner, Tian Tian, will depart this week on a 13 flight to their new home.

The pandas will live at the U.S. zoo for 10 years, replacing the first pair of pandas which died in the 1990s. For now, the pandas are getting a lot of attention at China's Sichuan's Wolong Nature Reserve.

Chinese reporters say they sense that Mei Xiang lacks her usual spirit and seems unhappy with the prospect of leaving, while Tian Tian displays a healthy appetite on the eve of his departure, eating five apples in one sitting.

Watch this report to find out more about the pandas.

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