Giant panda Bao Bao, born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. in Aug. 2013, will be moved to China next year as part of an agreement that aims to help in giant panda reproduction and health.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) and the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are participating in a cooperative breeding program that requires pandas born from Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, Bao Bao's parents who are on loan to the U.S. from China since 2000, will be sent to China before they reach the age of 4.
The giant pandas will eventually participate in a breeding program when they reach sexual maturity at the age of 5 to 6 years. But before this they have a sufficient time to adjust to their new environment.
Chinese scientists are helping to increase the number of giant pandas, which are reclassified from endangered to "vulnerable" in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are working toward the reintroduction of giant pandas, which are born in human care, to the wild.
According to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, FedEx will fly Bao Bao to Chengdu, China and along with her is a keeper and a veterinarian. Her departure will be in the late winter of 2017. The Zoo will not release the exact date to ensure the safety of Bao Bao and their staff.
Bao Bao will live at one of the stations controlled by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), and a keeper from the Zoo will stay with her for a while until she adjusts and her new keepers learn about her.
Before Bao Bao leaves the U.S., the public has a chance to bid their goodbyes in a special event to be organized by the Zoo and the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ).
Bao Bao has captured the hearts of people all over the world who watched her grow up through the panda webcams and has been an ambassador for conservation.
In a website report of the zoo, associate director of animal care sciences Brandie Smith, said that Bao Bao is very special to them and that they are sad to see her leave but are also excited for her further contributions to the giant panda population.