Zoo Atlanta’s New Pandas Have a Pool and Climbing Structures, Unlike Many First Apartments

Two giant pandas, a male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang, both 6, made their public debut at Zoo Atlanta on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. They live in the newly opened Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove. Their arrival ends a roughly two-year stretch without pandas at the Georgia zoo.²⁴

For people in and around Atlanta, that means giant pandas can be seen in person at the zoo again. The previous pair first arrived in 1999 and went back to China in 2024.⁴⁶

The new pair are not permanent residents. They are in the U.S. temporarily under a giant panda conservation agreement between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.⁴

Who the new pandas are

Both pandas were born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. According to Zoo Atlanta, Ping Ping was born March 17, 2020, and Fu Shuang followed on Oct. 18, 2020.⁸

They arrived in Atlanta on Sept. 27. Friday was the first time members and guests could see them.²³

Zoo Atlanta president and CEO Raymond B. King has offered a quick sketch of their personalities. He described Ping Ping as a goofball and Fu Shuang as the more reserved, cautious one.⁴¹⁰

King said in a Good Morning America report ahead of the debut:¹⁰

“But they’ve both adapted very, very well.”

A renovated home

The Panda Grove comes with expanded and upgraded dayrooms. Each one has new climbing structures and a pool, which is more than a lot of first apartments can claim.⁷

Opening day started with a VIP ceremony that included speeches and a ribbon-cutting. Crowds lined up to get their first look at the new arrivals.⁵⁹

Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng spoke at the Friday news conference. According to the Associated Press, he said the pandas’ arrival “marks the renewal of a decade-long bond between China and Zoo Atlanta.”⁹