2 new giant pandas are returning to Washington's National Zoo from China by the end of the year

WASHINGTON -- Two giant pandas are coming to Washington's National Zoo from China by the end of the year.

The zoo made the announcement Wednesday, about half a year after it sent its three pandas back to China.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said the pair of pandas are Bao Li (pronounced BOW'-lee) and Qing Bao (ching-BOW'). Giant pandas are icons in Washington, D.C., and beloved around the nation and the world. For more than five decades, the institute has created and maintained one of the world's foremost giant panda conservation programs, helping move the panda from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the global list of species at risk of extinction.

"We're thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.," said Brandie Smith, the institute's John and Adrienne Mars director. "This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Through this partnership, we have grown the panda population, advanced our shared understanding of how to care for this beloved bear and learned what's needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat."

In the video announcement released today on the insitutue's social media channels, first lady Dr. Jill Biden joined Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and Smith to reveal pandas are coming back to the nation's capital. This news comes just six months after giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, went to China last November, prompting a nationwide outpouring of farewell from millions of panda fans of all ages.