National Zoo gets 2 new giant pandas with $10 million from David Rubenstein

Karah Rucker

AS THE NATIONAL ZOO PREPARES FOR THE ARRIVAL OF 2 NEW PANDAS LATER THIS YEAR – ITS GETTING SOME MAJOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM A GENEROUS DONOR. 

LOCAL PHILANTHROPIST DAVID RUBENSTEIN ANNOUNCING TUESDAY A 10-MILLION-DOLLAR PLEDGE TO SUPPORT THE ZOO’S GIANT-PANDA CONSERVATION PROGRAM. 

WE TOLD YOU BACK IN MAY THE NEWS THAT THE SIMTHSONIAN WAS PREPARING FOR THE RETURN OF PANDAS FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE OF MEI XIANG AND TIAN TIAN LAST YEAR. 

RUBENSTIEN, CO-FOUNDER OF THE CARLYLE GROUP, HAS BEEN A LONGTIME SUPPORTER OF THE ZOO’S PANDA PROGRAMM, BRINGING HIS TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO AN IMPRESSIVE 22-MILLION-DOLLARS OVER MORE THAN A DECADE.  

THE NATIONAL ZOO DIRECTOR PRAISED RUBENSTEIN’S COMMITMENT, SAYING HIS CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE TRANSFORMED THE GIANT PANDA PROGRAM. SHE ADDED THAT THE CONSERVATION WORK IS A GLOBAL EFFORT, INVOLVING MORE THAN JUST ONE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION. 

IN ANTICIPATION OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE ZOO’S NEWEST PANDAS THIS FALL, THE GIANT-PANDA HABITAT IS UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS. THE NEW RESIDENTS, BAO LI AND QING BAO, ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE ON A TEN-YEAR LEASE FROM CHINA. 

THE ZOO HOPES THE NEW PANDAS WILL EVENTUALLY MATE AND ADD TO THE GROWING PANDA FAMILY. HELPING TO SUPPORT A PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF THE SMITHSONIAN FOR OVER 50 YEARS.

WHILE THE ZOO HASN’T ANNOUNCED AN OFFICIAL ARRIVAL DATE FOR THE PANDAS YET, EXCITEMENT IS ALREADY BUILDING FOR THEIR RETURN. 

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

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