“Qing Bao is our more reserved panda, she’s a little cautious, a little bit more nervous about the new noises and sounds,” says Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas. “Bao Li is just full of energy, he loves people, he wants to interact. Just kind of opposites.”

Two giant pandas will now call the Smithsonian’s National Zoo home after a 19-hour flight from China to Washington, D.C.

The three-year-old bears flew on the “Panda Express’; will be quarantined for 30 days before making their public debut in January 2025.