Thank you to the Taradiddle authors who wrote and submitted a story in Contest #6.

We hope you enjoyed writing about Fu Bao, a young giant panda on a journey to a new destination. The Taradiddle Judges are busy reading all the AMAZING stories! Please stay tuned for an announcement of the winning stories – and then read the stories here.

You might be wondering what is all the fuss about giant pandas.

This is an interesting and exciting time for pandas in the United States, and in China!

As you’ve learned from the clues, China has a long history of gifting pandas to other nations to symbolize friendship and peace. In 1984, the gifting of pandas changed to the loaning of pandas, with the payment of fees up to $1 million to support panda conservation efforts in China. 

Last year in 2023, three pandas from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. and one panda from the Memphis Zoo were returned to China. They joined 13 other pandas from other countries around the world in returning to China. The sadness felt by their departures was recently replaced with happiness. In June of this year, two pandas arrived from China to find their new residency at the San Diego Zoo. Two more pandas will arrive later this year at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.

In this shuffle of pandas through loan agreements, you might wonder how this is helping pandas. The panda exchanges do not have a direct impact on panda conservation. But – the loan agreements are raising the funds needed to save this marvelous animal. They are also helping Chinese officials connect with top scientists around the world to collectively solve this riddle of saving the pandas. You could say, good friendships make good things happen!

Learn more about the history of panda exchanges here.

Stay tuned next week for an announcement!