National Zoo's Three Giant Pandas to Depart for China Earlier than Planned

Panda departure hastened due to airspace restrictions, prompting first panda-less period at the National Zoo in decades amid future discussions with China; trio to endure a 19-hour journey in special storage containers.

Giant pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji, currently residing at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., will return to China earlier than previously scheduled, leaving the National Zoo completely without pandas for the first time in many decades.
The pandas are now expected to depart by November 15, about three weeks before the initially planned date of December 7, according to an arrangement with the Chinese government.
This change is due to airspace restrictions resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine, which have necessitated a longer flight route over the Pacific Ocean and increased the journey's duration to approximately 19 hours.
The pandas will travel via a specialized FedEx Boeing 777 aircraft, within large storage containers filled with a substantial supply of bamboo, water, and other nourishments for the lengthy voyage.
While the National Zoo has expressed interest in hosting pandas in the future, no formal discussions with China have commenced yet. In the meantime, the Zoo will renovate the current panda enclosure for future inhabitants.