panda

In 1972, the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park welcomed its first pair of giant pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, as a gift to President and Mrs. Nixon. The second and current pair, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, arrived in 2000 as part of the Chinese giant panda loan program. For over 40 years, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZP/SCBI) has been a leader in giant panda conservation through the study of behavior, health, and reproduction.