Photos: Washington's three giant pandas return to China

Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji eats bamboo in his enclosure. | Washington: All three giant pandas in the Washington zoo were set to begin a one-way trip back to China on Wednesday, leaving only a few of the cuddly creatures in the United States.

Now in their mid-20s, pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2000 and quickly became a main attraction. The duo and their three-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji - "Little Miracle" in English - will board a special cargo plane to begin the 19-hour journey to Chengdu, China, later Wednesday, the zoo said.

Members of the panda care team says goodbye to the youngest panda, Xiao Qi Ji. | Early in the morning, AFP journalists saw the pandas being carried out of the zoo in ventilated crates, along with boxes of apples and piles of tasty bamboo shoots. A first pair of black-and-white furballs arrived from China in 1972 as a gift, following then-president Richard Nixon's historic visit to the country.

Visitors take photos of giant panda Mei Xiang. | Recognizing the species' uncanny ability to attract fans - and a source of income for its conservation program - China continued to loan pandas to Washington and other zoos around the world in a program since dubbed "Panda Diplomacy."

Giant panda Tian Tian roams in his enclosure. | At the Smithsonian zoo, millions of dollars have been spent on the pandas' enclosure and research into the species, especially related to breeding. This includes a popular 24-hour "Panda Cam" to monitor their behavior and health. The zoo also said it paid $500,000 annually to its Chinese conservation group partner under its most recent contract.

Ahead of the departure, thousands of devoted fans from the around the country flocked to the zoo to say final farewells, many during a week-long "Panda Palooza" event in late September.

The pandas' departure "closes a major chapter of an international animal care and conservation success story," the zoo said in a statement, adding that it "remains committed to continuing its efforts to secure and safeguard a healthy future for giant pandas."

Giant Panda Xiao Qi Ji, on November 7, 2023, on the panda's final day of viewing. | Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have had four surviving cubs since their arrival, which have all been required to go to China after a few years. After the trio's Wednesday departure, only a few pandas will remain in North America, with no plans yet for replacements.

Giant Panda Tian Tian rests in his enclosure. | Zoo Atlanta, in the southern US state of Georgia, plans to send its four pandas to China by late 2024, leaving only the aging Xin Xin in Mexico City as the continent's sole-remaining panda.

A baby reacts as a woman shows a stuffed panda while visiting the Giant Panda enclosure at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2023, on the final day of viewing before the zoo's three pandas return to China.