“Qing Bao is our more reserved panda, she’s a little cautious, a little bit more nervous about the new noises and sounds,” says Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas. “Bao Li is just full of energy, he loves people, he wants to interact. Just kind of opposites.”

“We are beyond excited and we cannot wait for them to get here," said Krigman.

The zoo has set Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as the public debut of the pandas, with a public celebration of the new arrivals from Jan. 29 to Feb. 9. Zoo members will have a chance to reserve tickets for a preview between Jan. 10 and Jan. 19. Not at all, so far. But that's by design.