Zoo Atlanta is introducing its new giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to the public Friday. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 8 a.m.
The 6-year-old pandas arrived in Atlanta in late September, nearly two years after the zoo's previous giant pandas returned to China. Before their public debut, the pair went through quarantine and had time to get used to their new habitat.
The upgraded habitat includes larger indoor areas for hot or cold weather, expanded outdoor spaces, new climbing structures, pools and waterfalls.
"It took them a little while to get used to the new environment, new people, new animal care staff," said Gina Ferrie, Zoo Atlanta's vice president of collections and conservation.
Ferrie said the pandas have settled in and are enjoying the zoo's bamboo. They've also adjusted to other foods, including biscuits and apples.
Adair Vilella, expecting a new baby in the coming days, made sure to visit the habitat for a special mother-daughter outing before her family expands.
"We came to see the pandas. Isabella was so excited. It's her first time to the zoo too," Vilella said. "It was amazing, and they did a beautiful job. We really loved it."
Other visitors planned entire road trips around the occasion. Paris Gentry and her mother traveled from Ohio to Atlanta for one of Usher and Chris Brown's concerts, but once they learned the pandas were making their public debut, they made Grant Park their opening act.
"It's a really cool experience that we got to see that, like, out of nowhere," Gentry said. "They're so sweet, and I hope they get all the food that they want and have the healthiest home they can have. It's like a really nice place, and they keep all their animals nice and healthy, and it's a good habitat for them to be in."
Throughout the zoo, visitors of all ages sported panda headbands and carried bubble makers, while a costumed panda mascot greeted families lining up outside the expanded habitat. Ping Ping quickly showed off his playful personality for onlookers, including playing with a ball.
"I didn't think I was going to get to see a panda in real life, so I came and checked it out. They look pretty cool," another adult visitor noted, laughing as he watched Ping Ping eat a very large lunch.
Zoo Atlanta plans to continue the welcome festivities throughout opening weekend with family-friendly arts, crafts, and face painting across the grounds.
Under Zoo Atlanta's previous agreement with China, which ended in 2024, Lun Lun and Yang Yang had seven cubs, the zoo said. The pair and their two youngest offspring left Atlanta for China in October 2024, joining their five other offspring there.
Ferrie said the zoo works with animal care teams, scientists and veterinarians in China. "We share ideas, we collaborate on science projects," she said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the latest partnership would help improve the pandas' health and well-being, protect biodiversity and
strengthen ties between the Chinese and American people.
Giant pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China relations since Beijing gave a pair to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in 1972. China has long used panda loans to build ties with other countries.
Zoo Atlanta is one of three U.S. zoos with giant pandas. The other two, the National Zoo and the San Diego Zoo, both received pandas from China in 2024.
