While the National Zoo’s two new giant pandas are not due to meet the public until the beginning of next year, zoo officials released footage Friday of Bao Li and Qing Bao at play.

Male Bao Li and female Qing Bao, both 3 years old, arrived in the District on Oct. 15 and are currently quarantined to keep them from possibly infecting other zoo animals or introducing parasites to the zoo. The pair are also getting used to their new home and playing with toys to keep them mentally and physically fit.

“Bao Li and Qing Bao are having a ball! While our panda pair acclimate to their new habitats, keepers presented them with toys that encourage them to keep physically active, mentally sharp and use their natural behaviors,” the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute wrote on X.

The zoo plans to publicly introduce their panda breeding pair on Jan. 24. The zoo’s livestreamed “panda cam” will also start back up on that date. The two replaced 26-year-old male Tian Tian and 25-year-old female Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s previous panda pair that first arrived stateside in 2000 and that were returned to China in 2023.

Bao Li’s mother, Bao Bao, was one of the pandas born to them during their time at the National Zoo.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.