FEDEX Express has announced that it is donating its logistical services to transport two giant pandas from the US to China.



Working in conjunction with the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC and Zoo Atlanta, FedEx Express will fly the pandas from Washington's Dulles International Airport on February 4 to Chengdu, China.







Tai Shan, a four-and-a-half-year-old male panda born at the National Zoo, and Mei Lan, a three-year-old female panda born at Zoo Atlanta, will travel aboard a FedEx Express 777 Freighter dedicated solely to the panda's journey.







"FedEx Express, the National Zoo, Zoo Atlanta and the China organisers in Chengdu have worked collaboratively to ensure all necessary precautions have been taken to provide a safe and comfortable flight for the pandas. Animal care experts from both zoos have been granted special flight privileges to accompany the pandas onboard the aircraft," a company statement said.







Upon arrival in Chengdu, Tai Shan will be received by the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens will take delivery of Mei Lan. Tai Shan will reside at the China Conservation and Research Centre's Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China and Mei Lan will reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.







David Cunningham, president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express, said: "We are honoured to serve as the trusted carrier for Tai Shan and Mei Lan's journey to Chengdu and to play a role in supporting the preservation of this endangered species."







Conservationists estimate that only 1,600 pandas presently remain in the wild. Both Tai Shan and Mei Lan are part of global, giant panda conservation programmes.



