Sex Male Parents Tian Tian | Species Ailuropoda melanoleuca | |
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Born August 22, 2015 (age 1) ( 2015-08-22 ) Residence National Zoo, Washington, D.C. Weight 16lbs (as of December 10th, 2015) Height 14 inches long (as of October 1, 2015) | ||
Giant panda cub bei bei s antics with mom
Bei Bei (/ˈbeɪˈbeɪ/ BAY-BAY; Chinese: 貝貝, 贝贝, Bèibèi) is a male giant panda cub who lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in the United States. He is part of US-China relations panda diplomacy and will have to be sent to the People's Republic of China at the age of 4.
Contents
- Giant panda cub bei bei s antics with mom
- First look at new giant panda cub bei bei
- Birth
- Name
- Viewing
- References
First look at new giant panda cub bei bei
Birth
Bei Bei was born on August 22, 2015, together with a twin that died 4 days after their birth. His mother is Mei Xiang. His father, via artificial insemination, is National Zoo panda Tian Tian. As of October 7, 2015 he weighed 5 lbs (1.8 kg).
Name
On September 25, 2015, five weeks after the birth of the baby panda, he was named "Bei Bei" by Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan, the first ladies of the United States and the People's Republic of China, respectively. The name was selected from a list of suggestions by officials from the National Zoo and the Wolong National Nature Reserve in China's Sichuan Province. The National Zoo preferred the name Ping Ping (平平, "peace"), while "Bei Bei" was the staff choice at Wolong; doubled names are usually chosen because they are diminutive in Chinese. The first ladies revealed the name in both English and Mandarin, assisted by third-grade students from a Chinese-immersion elementary school in Washington, D.C. The name means "precious" or "treasure", the same as his 2-year-old sister Bao Bao. Zoo director Dennis Kelly admitted that the name is likely to give rise to jokes and wordplay linking the name to "baby".
Before the naming ceremony, Kelly said, "It's a very exciting day because it celebrates more than four decades of research and success on the giant panda, and to have it recognized by the two first ladies is an honor."
Viewing
Bei Bei made his first public viewing on January 16, 2016. After 4 years of age the panda will be sent to China to live. Currently he and his mother can be viewed via a panda-cam at the National Zoo.