Three of the last seven pandas remaining in the United States will leave sooner than expected, as the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. announced Wednesday changes for the pandas' departure time frame. Sad news: In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the zoo revealed that its three pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their male cub Xiao Qi Ji — are now scheduled to depart for China in mid-November. Original plan: The three bears were originally scheduled to leave for China on Dec. 7, the same month when the expiration for the research and breeding agreement between the U.S. and China would expire, according to the announcement in late September.