Atlanta’s new giant pandas will make their public debut after a 2-year absence

Zoo Atlanta’s new giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, are due to make their public debut on Friday, ending a two-year absence of the animals from the city. Their return restores a popular attraction and renews a long-running link with China, where panda loans have also served as a form of diplomatic goodwill.

The six-year-old pandas arrived from China in September under a 10-year loan agreement and will live in the renovated Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove. Both were born at the Chengdu Research Base; Ping Ping is noted for the dark circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang has a prominent forehead. Their predecessors returned to China after a 25-year partnership ended amid strained US-China relations. Atlanta is now one of three US zoos with pandas; wild pandas were reclassified from endangered to vulnerable a decade ago as their numbers grew.