01:30Mandatory credit: Photos and video courtesy of FedEx
Four giant pandas departed Atlanta's international airport on Saturday aboard a dedicated Boeing 777 aircraft headed for China's Chengdu after 25 years at Zoo Atlanta.
Footage shows airport staff loading the animals inside specially designed enclosures into a plane dubbed the Panda Express.
Their luggage included over 100 kg of bamboo, almost 40 litres of water and around 15 kg of other snacks according to media reports. Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun will be staying at their new home at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to the pandas’ only natural habitat.
The four pandas were moved to Atlanta's zoo in the United States in 1999. During their two decades in Atlanta, the pandas bred seven cubs including two sets of twins.
Their return to China comes as Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda agreement with China expires in October.
Two of the pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, are 27 years old having been born in Chengdu in 1997. The animals usually live up to 30 years in captivity.
Ya Lun and Xi Lun are the sixth and seventh Atlanta-born pandas to travel to China.
Bambassadors of cuteness! Four giant pandas depart US to return to China after 25 years
Four giant pandas departed Atlanta's international airport on Saturday aboard a dedicated Boeing 777 aircraft headed for China's Chengdu after 25 years at Zoo Atlanta.
Footage shows airport staff loading the animals inside specially designed enclosures into a plane dubbed the Panda Express.
Their luggage included over 100 kg of bamboo, almost 40 litres of water and around 15 kg of other snacks according to media reports. Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun will be staying at their new home at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to the pandas’ only natural habitat.
The four pandas were moved to Atlanta's zoo in the United States in 1999. During their two decades in Atlanta, the pandas bred seven cubs including two sets of twins.
Their return to China comes as Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda agreement with China expires in October.
Two of the pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, are 27 years old having been born in Chengdu in 1997. The animals usually live up to 30 years in captivity.
Ya Lun and Xi Lun are the sixth and seventh Atlanta-born pandas to travel to China.
Mandatory credit: Photos and video courtesy of FedEx
Four giant pandas departed Atlanta's international airport on Saturday aboard a dedicated Boeing 777 aircraft headed for China's Chengdu after 25 years at Zoo Atlanta.
Footage shows airport staff loading the animals inside specially designed enclosures into a plane dubbed the Panda Express.
Their luggage included over 100 kg of bamboo, almost 40 litres of water and around 15 kg of other snacks according to media reports. Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun will be staying at their new home at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to the pandas’ only natural habitat.
The four pandas were moved to Atlanta's zoo in the United States in 1999. During their two decades in Atlanta, the pandas bred seven cubs including two sets of twins.
Their return to China comes as Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda agreement with China expires in October.
Two of the pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, are 27 years old having been born in Chengdu in 1997. The animals usually live up to 30 years in captivity.
Ya Lun and Xi Lun are the sixth and seventh Atlanta-born pandas to travel to China.