Last week visitors to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., got a firsthand look at its newest stars, a pair of giant pandas. Female Mei Xiang (may sh-ong), 2, and male Tian Tian (t-yen t-yen), 3, arrived from China last month. Folks waited in long lines to watch them play, eat bamboo-and heck, just plain look adorable! (For live video views, check out the panda cams at http://pandas.si.edu.)

The pandas are here to do some vital work: start a family and help promote panda conservation.

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January 19, 2001 World Report