No, we don't mean the new residents of the White House, but a couple who are calling the National Zoo their home.  A pair of giant pandas, emissaries from China, have arrived in Washington and are expected to host many guests during their 10 year visit. 

Liu Xiaoming, the deputy chief of mission at the Chinese Embassy expressed the desire that the new pandas would encourage "friendship between the peoples of these two great nations."  Additionally, as there are only about 1,000 pandas in the wild, this $10 million project is part of an international effort to study and breed this endangered animal. 

The male panda, Tian Tian (pronounced tee-YEN tee-YEN, meaning "more and more") has a kidney-shaped shadow around his eyes and can be distinguished from his mate Mei Xiang (may-SHONG, "beautiful fragrance"), whose shadows are round. 

There are high hopes that this pair will become a mom and dad soon, as they seem more compatible than the previous pair of pandas visiting America. Tian Tian, who at 3 1/2 -years-old weighs 210 lbs., and Mei Xiang, who is 2 1/2-years-old and weighs 141 lbs., seem to be adapting very well and enjoying their new home.  You can watch them munch on bamboo, climb and frolic from 9am to 4:30pm daily.
 

Click on www.washington.org for more information on sightseeing in America's capital.