The Only US Born Giant ‘Panda’ Leaves for China for a Special Program

The one and only US-born giant panda ‘Bei Bei’ has left for China directly from his home the National Zoo in Washington and undertook a 16-hour flight to China as part of a research and breeding program. The meaning of the four-year-old cub’s name is ‘precious, treasure’ in Mandarin.

Bei Bei has traveled on a specially equipped direct flight from Washington to Chengdu in China inside a steel and plexiglass crate. His caretaker and a veterinarian accompanied him, the zoo officials informed.

The travel of Bei Bei to China is undertaken under Beijing’s “panda diplomacy.” According to ‘Panda Diplomacy’, China lends pandas to zoos across the world, as the animals are considered ‘vulnerable’ and extinct declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Once any young panda reaches the age of four years, he or she is repatriated to breed with other animals at sanctuaries within China.

Sharing the emotion after the departure, Zoo Director, Steve Monfort said, “Today is bittersweet. We have cared for Bei Bei, and along with millions, watched him grow into a true ambassador for his species.”

Monfort also said, “We look forward to continuing our 47-year giant panda conservation program and collaboration with Chinese colleagues to study, care for and help save the giant panda and its native habitat”.

For the special occasion, courier transporter FedEx has sponsored for the special flight of Bei Bei with the special outfitting of the Boeing 777, which is named the ‘Panda Express’ for the special occasion.

Meanwhile, the staffs of the National Zoo has prepared for a special stash of treats for the little panda, which includes its favorite 30 kilos of bamboo grass, two pounds of cooked sweet potatoes, two pounds of apples and pears, two bags of biscuits and water, the zoo officials informed.

Bei Bei’s siblings include his brother Tai Shan and sister Bao Bao, who have already been returned to China, while his father Tian Tian and mother Mei Xiang are still at the National Zoo and they will be there till at least December 2020.

Bei Bei was born in National Zoo in August 2015 and the birth of the first panda in the US was celebrated amidst great fanfare, his name was announced at the special event by the then-first lady Michelle Obama in the presence of her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan.