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National Zoo pandas Mei Xiang, Tian-Tian and Xiao Qi Ji are set to return to China in mid-November, roughly a month earlier than expected. It's panda -monium at the National Zoo for panda lovers who will have to say goodbye to the trio of bears earlier than expected. Zoo officials told ABC News Wednesday morning that the date for the three giant panda s, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji to leave Washington, D.C., had been moved forward to mid-November, a few weeks prior to their originally scheduled return on Dec. 7. After they leave, the only remaining giant panda s in the United States will be in Atlanta. The zoo is not releasing an exact departure date due to security concerns. It's not clear why the timing of the pandas' departure changed. The three bears will make the 19-hour journey to China aboard a specialized FedEx "Giant Panda Express" plane. People watch male giant panda Xiao Qi Ji walk around his enclosure during a 'Panda Palooza...

Their leaving in December has sparked new talk of conservation and diplomacy. The Smithsonian's National Zoo is bidding farewell to its beloved giant pandas, heading to China before the end of the year. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived in Washington in 2000 and their fourth cub, Xiao Qi Ji, was born in 2020. Xiao Qi Ji's siblings were sent to China when each of them was 2 or 3 years old, after their births caused a national sensation. On Dec. 7, the three giant pandas still at the National Zoo will be reunited with their relatives in China, and for the past week the zoo has been holding "Panda Palooza," a week-long event dedicated to letting their thousands of devoted fans a chance to see them one last time. Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji struggles to eat frozen fruit cake. Mahika Gupta/ABC News MORE: National Zoo announces birth of new giant panda cub Many zoogoers showed up on a recent rainy Saturday to see the pandas, participate in family-friendly panda-themed events,...