Panda fever hits Atlanta as Ping Ping, Fu Shuang meet the public

The wait is over for panda fans across metro Atlanta.

This is the first full weekend visitors to Zoo Atlanta can see giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, marking the return of one of the zoo’s most popular attractions after a two-year absence.

The 6-year-old pandas arrived from China six weeks ago and spent the past month completing a mandatory quarantine and adjusting to their new surroundings.

Their public debut kicked off Friday with a ribbon-cutting for the new Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove, a $6 million habitat featuring pools, waterfalls, climbing structures and expanded indoor areas where the bears can escape extreme temperatures.

Of course, there’s also plenty of bamboo.

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Families quickly flocked to the new exhibit Friday for their first look at the pair.

“They were really, really cute, and I just wanted to, like, squeeze them because they were so fluffy,” 9-year-old Zuri Brown said.

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang were raised at a research sanctuary in China before making the 16-hour journey to Atlanta.

Their arrival restored a decades-long connection between Atlanta and giant pandas. The zoo’s previous panda family returned to China in 2024 after a 25-year run at the zoo.

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are expected to call Atlanta home for the next 10 years.

Zoo Atlanta is now one of only three zoos in the United States where visitors can see giant pandas in person.

The gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday, with large crowds expected throughout the pandas’ first weekend on public view.