January 21st, 2025

David Culver Reports In “Operation Panda” for The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper

EPISODE PREMIERES SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 8PM ET/PT  

NEW YORK, NY – (January 21, 2024) – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, a five-time Emmy® Award-winning CNN Original, returns with exclusive special access to the return of giant pandas to America, an important symbol of conservation and friendship between the United States and China. “Operation Panda” with Senior National Correspondent David Culver premieres Sunday, January 26 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.

Timed to this week’s grand reopening of the panda exhibit at Washington’s Smithsonian National Zoo, “Operation Panda” has exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the journey of Bao Li and Qing Bao, two giant pandas who became the first of their kind China has sent to Washington in 24 years. Culver reports from Dujiangyan Panda Base, where CNN was the sole US based media present to witness their departure, and he also gets an early look at how the pandas are settling into their new home in the nation’s capital.

“Returning to China for this story felt both deeply personal and profoundly unique”, said Culver. “The exclusive access – from the meticulous planning for the giant pandas’ send-off to trekking into the wild to explore the landscapes they call home – revealed a side of this journey few ever see. It’s a story that goes beyond borders, capturing the remarkable efforts, cultural ties, and raw beauty that these iconic animals inspire. I’m excited for viewers to experience these rare, unforgettable moments firsthand.”

In “Operation Panda,” Culver also explores the Sichuan Mountains of southwest China, where researchers are focused on reintroducing pandas to their natural habitat. He unearths the history of panda diplomacy starting with President Nixon in 1972 and speaks with researchers, Chinese citizens and American panda fanatics about why these animals inspire such widespread devotion around the world.

The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is executive produced by Susan Chun.

The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, January 26. “Operation Panda” will also be available on demand beginning Monday, January 27 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand now on Max.

The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Audio showcast. Visit CNN.com/audio or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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About CNN Originals

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Flashdocs, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN’s global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films’ first Academy Award® for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid directed by Matt Tyrnauer; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy® Award-nominated “Decades Series”: The SixtiesThe SeventiesThe EightiesThe NinetiesThe 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; the Emmy® Award winning Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much, directed by Dawn Porter; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart;This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; the American version of the British institution Have I Got News For You; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, the CNN Originals FAST channel, and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.

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Press Contacts

The Whole Story Press Contacts

Jordan.Overstreet@cnn.com

Sophie.Tran@cnn.com

David Culver Press Contact

Mariana.Pinango@cnn.com