A boy hugs a panda statue as he visits the Giant Panda enclosure at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2023, on the final day of viewing before the zoo's three pandas return to China. All three of the zoo's pandas are leaving for China by the end of the year, bringing at least a temporary end to a decades-old connection between the cuddly animal and the US capital. And while the pandas' departure had been expected due to contractual obligations, many can't help but see the shift as reflective of the growing strains between Beijing and Washington. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
