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October 25, 2024

National Zoo shares new video of giant pandas from China in their new home

WATCH: National Zoo shares new video of giant pandas from China

Newly-released video shows the Smithsonian's National Zoo's new pandas from China settling into their new home.

On Friday, the zoo shared a video on Instagram of the pandas "having a ball" while quarantined at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat after their arrival from China.

In the video, the pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, are seen playing with bouncy balls and wading in water in their new habitat.

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A post shared by Smithsonian's National Zoo (@smithsonianzoo)

The pandas arrived in Washington, D.C., from China on Oct. 15.

After landing at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after a 19-hour journey from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, the pandas were transferred to crates and loaded onto FedEx trucks to go to the National Zoo.

PHOTO: A cargo jet operated by FedEx transporting two giant pandas, lands at Dulles airport in Virginia on October 15, 2024.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
A cargo jet operated by FedEx transporting two giant pandas, lands at Dulles airport in Virginia on October 15, 2024.

The new video of the pandas on Instagram marks one of the first few looks at them at the National Zoo, which has not yet turned on its wildly popular "Giant Panda Cam" that has given the public a behind-the-scenes look at pandas in the past.

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Bao Li and Qing Bao will be quarantined in the panda habitat for a minimum of 30 days.

2 giant pandas arrive in Washington, DC from China

The exhibit is closed to the public until the two giant pandas make their public debut on Jan. 24, 2025.

Born one month apart in 2021, Bao Li and Qing Bao have been described by prior caregivers as lively 3-year-olds who enjoy climbing.

PHOTO: he National Zoo shared video on Instagram of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao "having a ball" in their new habitats.
@smithsonianzoo/Instagram
he National Zoo shared video on Instagram of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao "having a ball" in their new habitats.

The pandas' arrival was first teased to the public in May, when the National Zoo released a statement, saying, "Giant pandas are returning to Washington D.C.! As part of our 52-year-old conservation partnership with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, we're getting ready to welcome two new bears -- Bao Li and Qing Bao -- by the end of 2024."

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The announcement was accompanied by a video on YouTube featuring first lady Jill Biden.

ABC News' T. Michelle Murphy and Briana Stewart contributed to this report.