Smithsonian Pandas Flirt, Raising Hopes for Historic Natural Birth

Bao Li and Qing Bao, the zoo's resident giant pandas, are showing early signs of courtship, exciting zookeepers.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 3:19pm

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The Smithsonian National Zoo's giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, are displaying courtship behaviors, raising hopes that the zoo could witness a historic natural panda birth. The 4-year-old pandas are flirting through 'howdy' windows, with the male Bao Li exhibiting signs of breeding season. Zookeepers are closely monitoring the pandas' hormone levels and physical changes, but are not rushing to put them together as neither has reached breeding age yet.

Why it matters

Natural breeding among giant pandas is extremely rare, with the zoo's previous panda cubs born through artificial insemination. A successful natural birth would be a significant milestone for the zoo's panda conservation program, which dates back to the 1970s when China gifted pandas to the U.S.

The details

Bao Li and Qing Bao live in separate but neighboring habitats at the Smithsonian National Zoo and interact through 'howdy' windows. Bao Li, the male, is currently in 'rut' and is exhibiting behaviors like power-walking, scent marking, and vocalizing loudly to get Qing Bao's attention. Qing Bao, the female, has also become more active and is vocalizing back at Bao Li. Zookeepers are closely monitoring the pandas' hormone levels through daily urine samples and are also training Qing Bao to participate in abdominal ultrasounds to track her fertility.

  • Bao Li's breeding period typically lasts from November through May.
  • Qing Bao experienced her first estrus cycle in March and April 2025, followed by her first pseudopregnancy in August and September.
  • In February 2026, zookeepers noticed physical changes in Qing Bao indicating breeding season was approaching.

The players

Bao Li

A 4-year-old male giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo, currently in his breeding period and exhibiting courtship behaviors.

Qing Bao

A 4-year-old female giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo, also showing signs of interest in Bao Li and the breeding season.

Mariel Lally

One of the giant pandas' zookeepers at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Smithsonian National Zoo

The zoo that is home to Bao Li and Qing Bao, with a long history of giant panda conservation dating back to the 1970s.

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What they’re saying

“There's a lot of flirting going on right now.”

— Mariel Lally, Giant panda zookeeper

“Bao Li, he is amped up. His testosterone is very high and he is very active. He's scent marking a lot. He's looking for the ladies. Qing Bao has become very active. She started to look for Bao Li. She usually never wants anything to do with Bao Li, and she's been vocalizing at him.”

— Mariel Lally, Giant panda zookeeper

“We would love to be able to have a natural birth from Bao Li and Qing Bao.”

— Mariel Lally, Giant panda zookeeper

What’s next

Zookeepers are closely monitoring Qing Bao's hormone levels and physical changes to determine if she reaches peak estrus. If she does, they will carefully consider whether to allow a natural breeding attempt between Bao Li and Qing Bao, despite neither having reached full breeding age yet.

The takeaway

The flirtatious behavior between Bao Li and Qing Bao represents an exciting milestone for the Smithsonian National Zoo's panda conservation program, raising hopes for the zoo's first natural giant panda birth in decades. However, the zookeepers are taking a cautious approach, prioritizing the pandas' wellbeing and ensuring they are ready for breeding before facilitating any potential natural mating.