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The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
Operation Panda. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired January 26, 2025 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:01]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I would see video of people like just watching and recording for hours. And I found myself up there, you're mesmerized.
BRANDIE SMITH, DIRECTOR, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: When you stand here and you watch giant pandas, we actually release certain hormones that makes you feel joy and it makes you feel closer and more connected to other people.
CULVER: The world could use more pandas I think.
SMITH: It certainly could.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: They're very cute. "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper, "Operation Panda," airs next right here on CNN.
Thanks so much for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean. We're going to see you again right back here next weekend. Have a great night.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to THE WHOLE STORY. I'm Anderson Cooper.
On Friday, the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington debuted two new giant pandas from China. Visitors from all over the world were on hand to welcome these beloved and once endangered creatures to their new home.
Now, the panda exhibit had been empty since 2023 after a loan agreement between China and the U.S. expired. But now they're back, and so are the adoring crowds. The pandas first arrived at the national zoo in 1972 after a historic trip to China by President Nixon at the height of the Cold War. The gesture became known as panda diplomacy, and it signaled a stronger relationship between the two countries, with an emphasis on wildlife preservation.
CNN's David Culver was granted exclusive access to the panda reserve in China to see their natural habitat and document the journey of these new pandas to D.C. And over the next hour, he shows us why these animals are so important and what conservationists are doing to protect them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me get out of the way. Let me get out of the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are delighted to invite the public to meet and enjoy our wonderful new pandas.
CULVER (voice-over): Two pandas are making their long awaited debut at the National Zoo.
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: D.C.'s new pandas are officially accepting visitors. They're back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Embracing pandas is embracing peace and friendship.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We traveled here from Cleveland, Ohio.
CULVER: How early did you get here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 5:30 this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a huge panda fan. Don't they bring everybody joy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, boy.
CULVER: It's a rush to see the pandas.
(Voice-over): Let's face it, there is just something about pandas that makes them a global phenomenon. They're everywhere on social media, and have their own multi-billion dollar franchise.
JACK BLACK, VOICE OF PO, KUNG FU PANDA: I'm the big fat panda.
CULVER: They're the stars of zoos across the world and are beloved by millions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, so, so beautiful.
CULVER: And it's not just because of how cute and innocent they look. It's also because pandas represent conservation. And for some hope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This cute little guy is Xiao Qi Ji, which in Mandarin means little miracle. He was kind of known as the pandemic panda because he cheered people up so much.
KIRSTEN SVANE, PANDA INFLUENCER: It was a very, very lonely, pretty, dark period for me. They really saved me from just, I don't know, everything.
CULVER: But along with such fame comes scrutiny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The entire world is watching and there's no margin for error. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The degree to which many of these animals suffer
in captivity, I would rather see the species go extinct.
CULVER: What do you make of some of the reporting that's been out there that's very critical?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It can be upsetting because it seems like it's directing at a piece of the puzzle rather than trying to really understand the whole picture.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my goodness.
CULVER (voice-over): We're about to embark on a rare and at times emotional journey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the moment the pandas are born we know what their purpose is. But do I cry? Yes, I do.
CULVER: Taking you into the wild.
It's pretty rare as you see it for even us to be up here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, this is definitely like a behind the scenes type of thing. I doubt that any Western media have filmed this site.
CULVER (voice-over): And straight to the heart of panda research. Chengdu, China, giving you an exclusive look at what life is like at home for these cherished creatures and introducing you to the people behind the pandas.
ANNALISA MEYER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, SMITHSONIAN: Welcome to Asia trail.
CULVER: Thank you.
MEYER: Yes.
CULVER: Taste of the trip to come, I feel like. Look at this. The pandas are coming.
MEYER: Pandas are coming.
CULVER: I hear construction, we see fencing up. There's a lot going on.
MEYER: Yes. You can see some of the work back there.
CULVER: The sparks.
MEYER: Which is our behind the scenes area. This is a big undertaking.
[20:05:05]
At a zoo it takes all hands to get work done. Two people that are a huge part of the program. This is Mariel and Laurie. This is David.
CULVER: Hey there, I'm David.
LAURIE THOMPSON, ASSISTANT CURATOR OF GIANT PANDAS, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: Hi. Nice to meet you.
CULVER: This is the first time in 20 plus years that you're preparing for a welcome.
THOMPSON: It's going to be super exciting, and people are going to just be losing their minds, you know, because it's been a hard year without pandas here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good girl.
THOMPSON: We still think about the pandas that were here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their 3-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji are headed to China.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Emotional farewell at the National Zoo here in Washington today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the first time in 23 years that there are no longer any pandas here in the D.C. area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their return part of an agreement signed back in 2000, though it does come amid heightened tension between the U.S. and China.
MARIEL LALLY, GIANT PANDA KEEPER, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: It was a rough year. I spent my first Christmas of my entire career not with the pandas last year just because they were gone.
CULVER: And so that was you had to spend it with family, which --
LALLY: I did, you know, had to spend it with my husband.
THOMPSON: This is the entrance of the panda house. How you would come in if you were a visitor.
CULVER: Is there a stress you carry in this moment right now? Like just wanting things to be, like, perfect. Is that laughable?
THOMPSON: We're a little stressed. Yes. I mean, all of this is new. We don't know how they're going to react to the new exhibit.
CULVER: Have they always been this big of an attraction?
THOMPSON: Yes.
LALLY: Pandas are very different. They come from one place, eat one thing, and they're also insanely cute.
CULVER: And I guess we'll see that for ourselves not too long from now.
So 16 hours feels brutal, but the pandas have an even longer flight on the way.
Chengdu. I think you'll see pretty quickly a lot of pandas. They're everywhere.
Welcome to Chengdu.
(Voice-over): This is a massive city with a population of more than 21 million people. It's also the capital of Sichuan Province.
It's cool that even just the fact that we're here, tensions are really obviously at a challenging point, let's say, between the U.S. and China. I think there's suspicion on both sides.
(Voice-over): China is such a unique place. From the iconic sights of Beijing, a city I called home for a few years.
The Great Wall. Pretty cool, huh?
(Voice-over): To the majestic Sichuan Mountains, this place is special. And so too the people.
And I think, you know, to be back and be able to tell a story on a creature that brings some sense of positivity. Pandas. Quite nice.
(Voice-over): But before we see the creatures themselves, we want to just see how large they loom around their home town.
Of all things, you wouldn't need to advertise here in Chengdu, it's be the giant panda.
Headbands. There are so many shops just like this. Panda themed cigarettes. You've got panda books, panda keychains, panda pens, even Starbucks has caved to the panda theme. You struggle to find a storefront that doesn't have pandas. We've been most surprised to see just how many panda loyalists there are. But that's Chengdu. I mean, basically, it's known for a few things. Spicy food, hot pot, and pandas.
We're going to go check out a panda tea shop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
CULVER: When in Chengdu, panda latte.
[20:10:03]
You know, it tastes just like a latte. It's shocking. It's really good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, don't look. This is too brutal.
CULVER: I don't think she should see any of that. So next to me here, this is Hua Hua, the most famous panda here in China.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hua Hua, China's most popular panda.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: China's biggest celebrity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because of her very unique and distinctive appearance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Posts with her hashtag can be read more than 100 million times a day.
CULVER: Can you explain what it is about Hua Hua that is so attractive for people?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): She looks different. She has no neck.
CULVER: She doesn't have a neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): From the back, she looks like a triangle rice ball.
CULVER (voice-over): There are entire stores devoted to Hua Hua.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hua Hua.
CULVER: We even saw a Hua Hua shrine. And met a panda influencer whose apartment is, well, all Hua Hua.
Do you have Hua Hua here?
A'QIU, GIANT PANDA INFLUENCER: This, this, this. CULVER: Never mind, they're all Hua Hua.
A'QIU: Hua Hua. Hua Hua. Hua Hua. Hua Hua. Hua Hua. Hua Hua. Hua Hua.
Hi.
CULVER: Do you talk to her?
A'QIU (through text translation): Yes, yes, yes. Didn't you just see?
CULVER: Hello.
A'QIU (through text translation): Normally I'll hold her like this, and say, Hua Hua, say hello to everyone. Remember to show us your face.
CULVER: That's what you hope for every single day. Just to see her face. Does it get repetitive?
A'QIU (through text translation): Beauty never gets tiresome.
CULVER: You have five million likes.
A'QIU: Yes.
CULVER: Hundreds of thousands of followers. Is this your job?
A'QIU (through text translation): This is just a hobby. I mainly do it out of pure love.
CULVER: How many times a week do you go to see the pandas?
A'QIU: Every day.
CULVER: And you take a bike and you go to the research base. You get in line to see Hua Hua and you run to go see her.
A'QIU: Yes.
Because Hua Hua is very popular, if you can't go early, there will be many people in line. And if you're at the back after queuing to get in, you might not be able to see her.
CULVER: So I guess I've got to see Hua Hua for myself. It is now 6:50 in the morning. We're not too far. About 15 minutes from the Chengdu research base.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Chengdu Park.
CULVER: Panda ears. When did you get in line? 6:00 in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): She's a national treasure. I came here two hours earlier. Every day they have 70,000 of tickets. Wow.
CULVER: And do you plan to run to go see them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This way?
CULVER: I'll follow you. Is this the line for Hua Hua?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes.
CULVER: And every day it's like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day like this.
CULVER: That's amazing. Is that her? Is that Hua Hua?
Now we're going into, like, the main viewing point. We got movement. See this?
Time's up. I'm getting pushed along to continue on.
You've now become a celebrity to some people. People recognize you. What's that like?
A'QIU (through text translation): What's most important is to cherish our national treasures and to love and protect animals.
[20:15:06]
CULVER: It's not about you. It's about the panda. A'QIU (through text translation): Protect the panda.
CULVER: Protect the panda, protect the animal.
A'QIU: Yes.
CULVER: Protect Hua Hua.
A'QIU: Yes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CULVER: We've taken about a three hour drive to the Sichuan Mountains. We're checking out the Wolong Panda Base. I think when people think of Chengdu and the pandas, perhaps you think of one panda base. But the reality is it is a massive project, one that spans over several different locations, about five altogether.
At this location alone, this base, they have some 80 pandas. Everywhere you look, there's pandas. We're going to go now and meet up with the folks from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, who are here in Chengdu.
Who are you looking forward to seeing today? I'm asking you to pick favorites.
SMITH: No, I know. It's like, which child do you love best?
CULVER: Would never ask you that.
SMITH: When I became curator, we hadn't had any pandas at the National Zoo for a while. And Bao Bao was our first cub. And so Bao Bao holds a special place in my heart. She also reminds me a lot of my daughter.
CULVER (voice-over): So Bao Li, who is part of the panda pair heading to Washington, is actually Bao Bao's son and Mei Xiang and Tian Tian's grandson.
SMITH: We have our baby coming back to Washington, D.C.
CULVER: It was spanning full circle?
SMITH: Oh, my goodness, I can't wait.
CULVER: And is the hope that the population would increase?
SMITH: Ultimately, you know, success will be the stability of the population. They've gone from being endangered to being vulnerable. We're saving them, but they're not safe. There are more black bears in the state of Virginia than there are pandas on the planet.
CULVER: So it's not over yet?
SMITH: No, not even close.
ELLEN STOFAN, UNDERSECRETARY FOR SCIENCE AND RESEARCH, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE: There's something about these species with their round heads and big eyes and clumsy silliness that I think just makes you laugh. And people need that. They need that happy good news story.
CULVER: When you think of the two who are coming Bao Li and Qhing Bao, like, how important is that to sustain this cooperation and exchange?
STOFAN: Well, it's this very global, interconnected nature of how you save species that we've helped through this program over the last 50 years.
CULVER (voice-over): All right. Let's pause for a second to look back at how this whole program started.
[20:20:02]
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We have at times in the past been enemies. We have great differences today.
CULVER: Back in 1972, President Nixon made history with his visit to China. He met with Chairman Mao Zedong.
It marked the first time a U.S. president set foot in Communist China. Nixon later called it the week that changed the world.
But beyond breaking barriers and geopolitics, the trip was also the start of panda diplomacy. As the story goes, then First Lady Pat Nixon was enchanted by the creatures. She saw them at the zoo here in Beijing. Ad at a state banquet she noticed them on a container of cigarettes. And she remarked to then Premiere Zhou Enlai, aren't they cute? I love them. He responded, I'll send you a pair. Two months later, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing arrived at their new home in Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think pandemonium is going to break out right here at the zoo. Thank you very much.
CULVER: They became instant stars, beloved across the U.S. and their popularity in China has only continued to grow. Today, even as tensions rise between the two countries, panda diplomacy is alive and well with Bao Li and Qhing Bao as the latest panda ambassadors.
OK, so we can't go back there. But that's where Bao Li and Qing Bao are. They're in quarantine, and those you saw there were the zookeepers from the National Zoo, as well as some caretakers from China, and they're going in part of the transition team to help Bao Li and Qing Bao in their very long flight from China back to the U.S.
What are you looking for in this transition period?
JAMES STEEIL, VETERINARIAN, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: You try to maintain what you have here and say, OK, Qing Bao likes to work on her own time and Nao Li likes to be very food motivated, very energetic towards people. And so like, can we provide those similar aspects to their care as they get adjusted?
CULVER: Their personalities are so much a part of the caretaking aspect.
TRISH JARVIS, GIANT PANDA KEEPER, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: You look at them and how can you not love that face? But the different personalities I think makes the job really fun, too. And you can really connect with different ones and have like very special connections with certain ones.
CULVER: I would see video of people like just watching and recording for hours, and I found myself up there, you're mesmerized.
SMITH: When you stand here and you watch giant pandas, we actually release certain hormones that makes you feel joy, and it makes you feel closer and more connected to other people.
CULVER: The world could use more pandas, I think.
SMITH: It certainly could.
CULVER: I mean, here you get not one, but two panda cubs. And what we're seeing here, I mean, that's the dream for zoo-goers around the world, especially now at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington. In just a couple of years, they're hoping to be able to look at a panda cub of their own.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:28:16]
CULVER: When we think about seeing pandas, we think about zoos. There are about 700 pandas in captivity all around the world, but here, this mountain is part of Sichuan Province, we're climbing up a pretty steep incline with a group of researchers from the Smithsonian, and we're meeting with some of the folks who are their Chinese counterparts, focused on rewilding. That is, introducing some of these pandas back into their natural habitat, which is what's surrounding us.
It's beautiful. Chances of us actually seeing one out here, we're told are quite slim. Still, we're going to try. We'll see if we make it up there. It's quite a steep incline.
Should not have done leg day yesterday. I'm feeling it now.
MELISSA SONGER, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST, SMITHSONIAN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE: This is a more wild place than that. Designed to create large enclosures for giant pandas that are going to be released to the wild. So they want --
CULVER: Is it in stages essentially?
SONGER: Well, they want to have pandas that are born under human care to get used to this type of thing before you release any of them to the wild.
CULVER (voice-over): But rewilding giant pandas hasn't always gone smoothly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2006, a 5-year-old bred became the first captive bred panda to be released. Less than a year later, he was found dead.
PROF. LIU XUEHUA, VICE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PARK RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY: You know, wild conservation actually really takes a lot of, you know, long time, actually.
CULVER: And roughly about 10 have been successfully released?
[20:30:02]
XUEHUA: Yes. So we got some difficulties. And then we tried to improve this process. And then now we actually have training before reintroducing. So this is also a long process.
CULVER: And the cameras out here you're able to go through a lot of that footage and get a sense of what they're doing out here.
SONGER: Yes, we get a lot of shots of pandas, but also we're learning about other species that are sharing their space. Pandas are what we call an umbrella species. They're like creating an umbrella of protection over the other animals that aren't as adorable.
CULVER: So even though people may say, oh, why do the pandas get all the attention and love, it's actually trickling down.
SONGER: Yes, exactly.
CULVER: What are the chances that we'll actually see one up here?
SONGER: They're not very high. But, you know, if we're lucky, we can see some dung.
CULVER: Panda feces.
SONGER: Yes. Panda feces.
CULVER: If we're lucky. Everyone keeps talking to me about panda poop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Panda poop.
SMITH: Panda poop.
LALLY: Panda poop is huge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feces of pandas.
XUEHUA: The poops.
CULVER: You were excited by panda poop?
XUEHUA: Yes.
CULVER: So that is red panda poop. And this is part of what you do, right? You look for poop out here. In this natural habitat where the pandas are rewilding, reintroduced to their native setting, they don't want humans to become part of their everyday routine. So it's for that reason that we're suiting up to look like them. This is a first for me I think wearing an outfit like this in a --
what is a legitimate journalism role right now. Can you reassure me that's a legitimate thing?
SONGER: Anytime you're releasing an animal, you want to minimize human contact. So that's the idea behind the costume is just not even getting familiar with humans.
Do they think you're a panda? No, they don't, but they really don't want pandas to be comfortable coming towards people or towards villages and things like that.
CULVER: So what are you guys thinking for dinner?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bamboo.
CULVER: Bamboo. I mean, is there a chance these cubs could think I'm their father?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): It's possible because when they were training, you're not only putting on just the suit by itself, you're also going to put panda's urine and feces on so you have the scent.
CULVER: I'm sorry?
XUEHUA: So you have scent.
CULVER: You're going to put poop on?
XUEHUA: Yes, like the pee --
CULVER: Like panda poop?
XUEHUA: Panda poop and panda pee on it. So you have the scent of the panda.
CULVER: Has that been on this suit before? My panda suit has some serious odor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): So it's only for when you have close contact with the pandas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is clean. It's been cleaned.
CULVER: Because I got a whiff of something so I wasn't sure what that was. OK. So I'll follow you and you tell me when we need to put our hoods on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): We hear beeping sounds and see numbers. So the higher the number means the panda is in that direction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're trying to avoid the cub from ever seeing human. So if they sense on the signal that a cub is nearby, they're going to put on the hood and go into hiding. CULVER: What is it like to see a panda in the wild for you?
XUEHUA: The feel is you want to shout, but you, you know you want. You need to keep quiet.
CULVER: Does it ever get old?
XUEHUA: No. Yes. You know, Panda, you can always give you, you know, new feeling.
CULVER: When you think about the evolution of panda research from when you started 30 years ago to where we are today. How has it changed?
XUEHUA: I think at least the panda population gets increased. And I think the Chinese government worked a lot on building the nature reserves. And, you know, make a giant panda national park.
CULVER: We visited a portion of that two days ago, and what surprised me is it looked like it at one point was open to the public, but it's all been shut down to enhance the preservation.
XUEHUA: Yes, we try to protect wildlife at home.
CULVER: Right now, China has five national parks and they're planning on creating 44 more by 2035.
More than 10 years, you've never seen a panda in the wild. And that's your research?
DR. HONGBO YANG, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: Yes. My research spent a lot of conservation policies.
CULVER: So you're able to count the number of pandas in this reserve based on DNA within the feces.
[20:35:00]
YANG: Yes. Yes, exactly. Currently, it's about 140.
CULVER: In this reserve. How do you know they're out here?
YANG: Oh, we see the panda poos.
CULVER: So, as we've been here now, "The New York Times" has put out an article that's really quite scathing of how the Chinese are counting giant pandas in the wild, suggesting that the methodology is flawed and that there's not a lot of transparency.
(Voice-over): It's something Chinese officials wanted to push back on.
We're going to talk to a researcher to give some clarity on what they believe is the truth here.
YANG: So here is population. Yes. Estimation.
CULVER: Does this show how its collected, too? YANG: Yes, yes.
CULVER: So you give the exact methodology?
YANG: Yes. Giant panda lives in very large area, covering, I think more than 30,000 square kilometers. And it's such a huge area. Some areas they cannot visit. So that may be the uncertainty. You cannot cover everywhere.
CULVER: So when you look at the criticism then that there aren't really maybe as many wild pandas as we believe by the numbers, some 1900.
YANG: 1864, something like 1864.
CULVER: 1864. But as you see it, it can be taken as an estimation and maybe even a conservative estimation, because you believe there's potentially even more.
YANG: es.
CULVER: They gave me this book.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, the Fourth National Survey. Yes.
CULVER: So I mean their frustration was how could people question our process when we have a book that's got the details of how we got these numbers?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I don't think there's another species where that's happening on this regular basis, where they're covering such a large amount of the range on foot.
CULVER; I guess you can criticize the how they do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which is very normal scientific thing to do something.
CULVER: That's science.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not that it's the wrong way or that we shouldn't trust the results, but just, that can we improve that method?
CULVER: The figuring out how many wild pandas there are isn't the only thing that's stirring strong emotions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:42:02]
CULVER: From here we go to the farewell sendoff party for Bao Li and Qing Bao. Look at all this. It's quite the search for a sendoff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very good.
SMITH: Today is really a moment to mark their departure from China here and to celebrate their time here and also remind people that they will be going to a happy place in their new home.
CULVER: We should point out those aren't real pandas, but they're equally cute.
SMITH: On behalf of the entire team, I would like to say thank you.
CULVER: What do you make of the exchange program? Is it sad to see them go?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): No. No sad. Panda is a gift. As long as the countries are taking care of pandas, then it's fine.
CULVER: Can you give me a sense of how important pandas are to the culture here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): Very important. Because it's a national protected animal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): Can't do without them. They're indispensable.
CULVER: What do you make of China sending pandas around the world including to places like the U.S.?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): I think it's good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): The fewer we send the better.
CULVER: So you're a big panda fan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): All Chinese people are. We just hope the U.S. and others can treat our panda babies kindly.
CULVER (voice-over): A small but vocal group of Chinese is against sending pandas abroad altogether.
As far as this program, overall, in panda diplomacy, why not just leave them here?
SMITH: It's really about sustaining the population. You want to create almost a reservoir population that's large enough to be genetically diverse, and it also has to be demographically stable. So if anything happened to their habitat or if you needed to reintroduce animals, you'd have a reservoir of pandas that are ready to go.
CULVER: What do you think the greatest threat is to giant pandas?
YANG: As a current stage, I think it's still the human disturbance to the panda habitat because of habitat fragmentation. But for the future, I think the climate change, perhaps a big threat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you're dealing with pandas, the eyes of the world are watching. Theres no margin for error.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The zoo executed a forced separation of mother and cub.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forced to do artificial insemination by the U.S. zoo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pandas at the Memphis, Tennessee, who are seconds starving the zoo is covering it up and no one seems to care.
CULVER (voice-over): The images are really tough to look at. But U.S. and Chinese experts both say that this panda, Ya-Ya, once kept at the Memphis Zoo, suffers from a rare skin disease and is otherwise perfectly healthy. And the other Memphis Zoo panda, Lulu, suddenly died of heart disease. But Chinese officials stressed both were well cared for.
[20:45:05]
Some of the reporting that's been out there, that's very critical. Does that sting in a certain way?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ya-Ya is suffering. Ya-Ya wants to go home.
SONGER: It is difficult to hear criticism, but it's also an opportunity for us to tell the bigger picture. You know, going back into the late '90s, when we began, there were 100 pandas in any facility in China, 104, I believe. And now, 30 years later, there are over 700. You know, we think, oh, well, it's easy. We have whatever, 20 cubs a year. No problem.
QIONGYU HUANG, WILDLIFE AND BIOLOGIST, SMITHSONIAN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE: It wasn't like this. I think right now the survival rate of panda cubs is about over 90 percent. But in the early 2000, it was like less than 10 percent.
SONGER: So it's just, you know, the advancements have been incredible. It's not that there's never been a mistake, but I think things have gotten so much better so quickly.
HUANG: And look at how an endangered species can recover just in the span of 30 or 40 years. And because there's so much public support and financial support.
CULVER (voice-over): As part of the loan agreement, zoos pay China up to $1.1 million a year, per a panda pair. If a cub is born, that's another $400,000. Some have questioned this hefty fee.
Where does the funding go? How does this help?
SONGER: Ninety percent of the funding goes towards support of giant pandas in the wild, as well as in the facilities for their assisted breeding programs. In addition to a 10 percent management fee.
HUANG: And infrastructure, too, like, those are extremely remote area. You have to have like rangers, houses, roads sometimes go into those areas to have patrols.
CULVER: So where would it be if it wasn't for this program? SONGER: I think the numbers would probably still be very low. You
know, it would be we'd have a couple hundred. And I think the same is true for the wild population, because we wouldn't see this amazing increase of the amount of protected area.
HUANG: I think because giant panda is such a flagship species, there's so much public love, there's more scrutiny that comes with it.
CULVER: So you kind of expect.
HUANG: It comes with the species.
CULVER (voice-over): Despite a small protest outside, inside the base, the sendoff went smoothly amid tight security.
They're saying Bao Li, Qing Bao, gave a safe trip.
They're going to leave this panda base. They'll head to the airport and then it's off to the U.S. on a very long flight. This is incredible to see. I mean, they've lifted up one of the pandas already, and we could see. And you can actually still see.
I've never been this close to a panda, but there she is. Qhing Bao. Oh, look how beautiful she is. The next time we'll get to see them will be in Washington, D.C. There's a bittersweet aspect to all of this. On the U.S. side, people are excited. But on this side, you've got a lot of the caretakers who they're going to miss them. Will it be hard to say goodbye to Bao Li and Qing Bao?
REN ZHIJUN, PANDA KEEPER, OUJIANGYAN PANDA RESEARCH CENTER (through text translation): Yes, it's difficult to see them go. It's always hard to let go when the pandas we care for have to leave. The pandas are life our own children.
CULVER: Are you looking forward to the day that you can welcome them back to China?
ZHIJUN (through text translation): Yes. looking forward to it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bao Li and Qing Bao have officially arrived in Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was the moment when FedEx's panda express touched down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People waited outside the National Zoo for hours this morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of those pandas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're going to have about a 30-day quarantine, and then they'll have a couple weeks to get used to their new surroundings before they make their debut.
CULVER: All right. We're going to go see Bao Li and Qing Bao here at the National Zoo. Haven't seen them since China. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to go behind the scenes.
CULVER: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to see Bao Li. He's out. Bao Li.
CULVER: There he is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come boy.
CULVER: Ah, there he is. Oh, my gosh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. Good. I don't know what I was expecting to feel. What this is incredible.
He's pretty amazing. Can you put this ball here? Nope. Your palm. Good boy.
CULVER: Oh, my god, Mariel, he's so sweet.
LALLY: He is extremely sweet, ha. Good. Like, almost unusually sweet. You're a good boy.
[20:55:04]
CULVER: How amazing is it to have pandas back here?
LALLY: It's incredible. And at first I was, you know, are we going to love them as much as we loved Mei Xiang and Tian Tian? But the answer is, yes. I know, are you ready to go inside? You can go inside. All right.
CULVER: You're so sweet. He is so sweet. Oh, my gosh. Oh, wow. What's the buildup like her on the 24th? How do you prepare for crowds here?
THOMPSON: I mean, for us, our priority is making sure that the pandas are happy and healthy, and, you know, having their best life here.
LALLY: I think people are just going to be so happy we have pandas back and our fans can't wait.
CULVER: I've been talking to one panda fan, she says basically saved her life.
SVANE: Hey, guys. Hey, guys. Do you see panda girl? Panda girl here. It was a fun morning with them and I hope you enjoy this video.
CULVER: Can I say you're obsessed?
SVANE: Yes, that's fine. There's worse things to be obsessed with.
CULVER: Does this go back many years?
SVANE: Like the start of COVID. That was when the zoo shut down. So during the pandemic, I really just watched the panda cam. Like as much as I could. I had literally just moved here and I didn't really know anybody. And then the world shut down. I owe these pandas my life. I feel like they just really, you know, took me out of a very dark place and gave me a reason to smile when basically nothing else did. I'm not sure what would have happened without the pandas.
CULVER: January 24th. Is it marked on your own calendar or --
SVANE: I am really just counting down.
CULVER: I'll follow you because I don't actually know how to.
SVANE: I can't wait. It's hard to believe that it's all going to be back.
CULVER: Well, a nice cold morning.
SVANE: Right? I mean, yes, the pandas like it. I'm kind of like, shaking a little bit. I can't, like, believe it's actually here. Like, this has been a very long wait. Oh, I see a lot of people.
CULVER: It's a panda party.
SVANE: Oh, it's the district of panda party.
CULVER: She's fast. I found you.
SVANE: Yes. And I walk a little fast.
CULVER: No, I'll keep up with you. That's on me.
SVANE: This is insane.
CULVER: This is wild.
SVANE: They have never done anything like this. This is definitely pandemonium. Oh, my god. I know I would cry.
CULVER: He's right there. That's crazy.
SVANE: I know.
CULVER: This way.
SVANE: Hi, Qing Bao. I can't believe there's a new panda here. It's like walked past these yards so many times with, like, nobody here.
CULVER: It was all empty.
SVANE: Yes. Oh, my. Hi, Qing Bao. Oh, my god. She's adorable. So many people love these animals and they're just excited to get to see them every day.
CULVER: They seem to be accomplishing what China was hoping for.
Even when politics are tough, geopolitics are tense, panda diplomacy continues on. What does that say to you? XUEHUA: I think Chinese would like to, you know, just to share the
panda with the whole world. It's actually to take the panda as a representative of friendship, hospitality. And also it's a kind of a sharing spirit. So we just hope the panda can bring the human, you know, happiness, peaceful society.
CULVER: We could use a lot of that in the world right now.
XUEHUA: Yes, right. Yes.
CULVER: And to have pandas exposure, really to have the public in all these countries, does that also add another level of importance here?
SMITH; I think it's key. The reason why we are so successful with conserving giant pandas is because people care. That's what it takes. We have incredible scientists doing amazing work, saving habitat. But all of this is because of the public interest, right? People need to care. They need to have a concern to save these species.
SONGER: And I think we want those animals to be in the world of our children and our grandchildren. So we're also, you know, a lot of what we're doing is for our families.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eleven years ago I was here to say hello to Bao Bao at her debut, and her little boy is debuting today. And I brought my little boy to say hi to her little boy. Just being able to visit and watch them grow up along with him and see what happens with the future of this new generation.
CULVER: Bao Li and Qing Bao. What would you say to folks in the U.S. who are going to have them at the national zoo in D.C.?
A'QIU (through text translation): Because pandas are our national treasure, I hope after they arrive, they can treat them well. At the same time I hope after seeing them, they'll fall in love.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
