The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C. announced Monday that zookeepers are expecting the arrival of two giant pandas from China this week. The pandas, one male and one female,

Two giant pandas are on their way from China to Washington’s National Zoo, traveling on a specially charted plane and kicking off a much-awaited return of the beloved bears to the American capital.

Two giant pandas began their journey from China to Washington, DC, on Monday, nearly a year after Chinese authorities took back a previous pair and prompted fears that the National Zoo would never see the much-beloved animals ever again.