New giant pandas arrive in U.S. capital

The pandas are unloaded from a FedEx transport plane at Dulles National Airport

In this story: Voracious bamboo eaters Clowns with short tempers RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Richard Stenger
CNN.com Writer

(CNN) -- A pair of giant pandas arrived by special delivery Wednesday in Washington, D.C., increasing the population of the rare black and white animals in the United States by 40 percent. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, a young female and male on loan from China, will make their home at the National Zoo for the next 10 years.

VIDEO CNN's Skip Loescher reports on the arrival of a new set of pandas in Washington Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Tian Tian and Mei Xiang are to be on a 10-year loan to Washington zoo, CNN's Lisa Rose Weaver reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     INTERACTIVE How much bamboo do pandas eat? Click here for more panda facts     GALLERY See more pictures of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian in China     POP QUIZ What was the name of the first panda to be exhibited in the U.S.? Yin-Yang Su-Lin Mei-Mei     MESSAGE BOARD Animal world     ALSO Picture of the day: Got milk?

The furry duo touched down at Dulles National Airport aboard a FedEx airplane adorned with panda images, accompanied by Chinese and U.S. zoo keepers. A crowd of hundreds braved cool weather to catch a glimpse of the Chinese imports.

Giant pandas are among the most popular and rare endangered species in the world. Only about 1,000 remain in the wild, living in remote mountain forests in Central China. About 20 bears live in zoos outside China. Besides the new arrivals, the United States has three in San Diego and two in Atlanta.

Mei Xiang, 2, and Tian Tian, 3, have a tough act to follow, taking over the habitat of the late Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, gifts from the Chinese government that delighted zoo visitors for decades. Their newly renovated habitat is an elaborate setup laden with pools, rocks, trees and air-conditioned outdoor "caves."

"We know from 28 years of experience with giant pandas at the National Zoo that they are real crowd pleasers," said Lawrence Small, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, which manages the zoo. "There is just something about these black and white bears that fascinates children and adults."

Despite their popularity, the reclusive animals remain somewhat of a puzzle to scientists. Once considered distant cousins of raccoons, giant pandas are now classified by some as proper members of the bear family.

They feed primarily on bamboo, using specialized pseudo-thumbs to grasp young stems and leaves. But because they possess carnivorous digestive systems, they must eat voraciously for 10 to 12 hours to consume up to 30 kg (66 pounds) of bamboo each day. They can reach a weight of 100 kg (220 pounds), a length of 1.5 meters (5 feet) and an age of 30 years.

In the wild, the solitary bears face threats from poachers and habitat destruction. Their counterparts in captivity face serious obstacles to survival as well. Giant pandas have had little luck mating in breeding centers or zoos, particularly outside China. The first captive panda birth in the United States took place only four years ago at the San Diego Zoo.

While Mei Xiang and Tian Tian will not reach sexual maturity for three or four years, the zoo is eager for them to try to reproduce even though any cub produced will be returned to China.

Tian Tian hangs from a tree in China's Wolong nature preserve. He was born 3 years ago at the preserve

Ling-Ling lost five cubs, most likely because she failed to pass needed immunities along to them, said Benjamin Beck, the zoo's associate director for animal programs.

"We'll probably allow them (the new pandas) to take care of this on their own," said Beck. "We will follow their lead. They will tell us when they want to be together and when they want to be apart."

The Chinese government has made a tradition of loaning or giving giant pandas to other countries as a symbol of distinguished diplomatic friendships. The first giant panda to reside in the West, Su-Lin, become a celebrity in a Chicago zoo after he arrived in 1936. Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing instantly became the most popular animals at the National Zoo when they came in 1972.

Ling Ling died in 1992 at the age of 23. Her companion Hsing Hsing died in 1999 at the age of 29.

The unusual appearance and clownish behavior of giant pandas make them appealing to human onlookers. Sporting creamy white fur with black ears, eye rings, shoulder bands and hind legs, giant pandas lumber with an awkward, almost comical gait. But the animals are also agile tree climbers and sometimes display quick tempers.

Giant pandas are threatened in their native mountain forest habitat by poaching and deforestation

Following their 17-hour flight from China aboard a donated FedEx airplane, Mei Xiang and her companion, Tian Tian, will remain quarantined away from public view for at least a month, allowing veterinarians to check for disease.

Once the bears are deemed healthy, National Zoo visitors will be able to see the two in their new living space, which has undergone $2 million in renovations. The habitat includes hand-painted murals of mountain ranges in China, air conditioners and fog makers to simulate the cool, misty weather back home.

Mei Xiang (pronounced may-SHONG, meaning "beautiful fragrance") and Tian Tian, (pronounced tee-YEN tee-YEN, meaning "more and more"), were born at a breeding center in the Wolong nature preserve in Sichuan Province, China. The center loaned them to the National Zoo in exchange for $10 million, raised from private donors, which will fund conservation efforts to protect wild pandas.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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