{"id":5620,"date":"2026-01-03T23:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalarchives.ie\/ga\/giant-pandas-at-dublin-zoo-1986\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T23:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:15:11","slug":"giant-pandas-at-dublin-zoo-1986","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nationalarchives.ie\/ga\/giant-pandas-at-dublin-zoo-1986\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant Pandas at Dublin Zoo (1986)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<section id=\"block-block_fc8291668242418976041d53468dffb8\" class=\"landing-page-header-block title-width-default block-color-gold block-row-02-type-share block-row-02-share-position-top intro-full-width\" data-style=\"style-01\">    \n\n\t<div class=\"header \">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"translation-notice\">\n        <div class=\"inner container\">\n            <p><strong>Cuirfear aistri\u00fach\u00e1n ar f\u00e1il go luath<\/strong><\/p>\n            <p>\u00c1r leithsc\u00e9al as an m\u00edchaoithi\u00falacht. Cuirfear aistri\u00fach\u00e1n Gaeilge ar an leathanach seo ar f\u00e1il go luath. Go raibh maith agat as do chuid foighneachta agus muid ag obair ar leagan uasd\u00e1taithe.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"intro\">\n\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"heading-0\">Giant Pandas at Dublin Zoo (1986)<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<!-- mobile -->\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-row-02\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"share-button pulse fade-in\" data-js=\"share-button\">SHARE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/section>\n\n\t<span class=\"notification-top\" data-js=\"share-copied\">URL copied to clipboard<\/span>\n\n\n<section id=\"block-block_707b927b21947d2cd9c5173ef37ea605\" class=\"content-tile-block nai-block margin-top-none margin-bottom-none image_right text-regular text-black bg-white smaller-heading\" data-layout=\"layout-1-2\">        \n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image\" data-image=\"cover\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"text\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"text-content cms-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In January 1986, Dublin Zoo received two very special visitors: giant pandas Ming Ming and Ping Ping. A newly released file includes a one-page fax from the Irish Embassy in Beijing outlining the terms of the loan.<\/p>\n<p>The pandas were an instant sensation\u2014142,000 visitors flocked to the zoo in the first month alone. This cultural exchange highlights how diplomacy can take many forms, even involving bamboo and black-and-white fur.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nationalarchives.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DFA_2025_124_1.pdf\">DFA_2025_124_1<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Reference:<\/strong> NAI\/DFA\/2025\/124\/1<br \/>\n<strong>Image:<\/strong> Fax detailing panda loan arrangements.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ctas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>    \n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5620","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Giant Pandas at Dublin Zoo (1986) - 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