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Bei Bei

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Bei Bei
Bei Bei playing with his mother Mei Xiang in February 2016
SpeciesGiant panda
SexMale
Born (2015-08-22) August 22, 2015 (age 11)
National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., United States
ResidenceBifengxia Panda Base, Ya'an, China
ParentsMei Xiang, Tian Tian
Weight240 lb (109 kg) (as of November 21, 2019)
Named afterTreasure

Bei Bei (/beɪ beɪ/ BAY BAY; Chinese: t 貝貝, s 贝贝, p Bèibèi; born August 22, 2015) is a male giant panda bear who was born and lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in the United States. He was part of US-China relations panda diplomacy, and was sent to the People's Republic of China on November 19, 2019, at the age of 4. He is currently at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base of the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in southwest Sichuan. He is the brother of Tai Shan, Bao Bao, and Xiao Qi Ji.

Birth

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Bei Bei was born on August 22, 2015, at 10:07 pm, together with a twin who was born at 5:35 pm that died from pneumonia 4 days after their birth. His mother is Mei Xiang.[1][2][3] His father, via artificial insemination, is National Zoo panda Tian Tian.[4] As of November 21, 2019, he weighed 240 pounds (108 kg).[5]

Naming

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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 Sichuan, China. The National Zoo preferred the name Ping Ping (平平, "peace"), while "Bei Bei" was the staff choice at Wolong;[2][6] 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 sister Bao Bao born two years earlier in 2013.[1] Zoo director Dennis Kelly admitted that the name is likely to give rise to jokes and wordplay linking the name to "baby".[3]

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."[6]

Move to China

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Bei Bei made his first public viewing on January 16, 2016.[7] After 3 and a half years viewed at the National Zoo in America, the panda was sent to China to participate in a breeding program.[8] On November 19, 2019, Bei Bei departed the National Zoo with a veterinarian and his life-long keeper on the FedEx Panda Express, an aircraft made for traveling pandas, to China.[9] He landed in Chengdu the following day,[10] and spent 30 days in quarantine before moving to the Chengdu Panda bases.[11]

In 2021, Bei Bei became the subject of a children's book titled Bei Bei Goes Home, written by Cheryl Bardoe. The book describes his return from America to China and what that means for conservation efforts.[12]

Adult life

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Bei Bei turned 9 years old in 2024. Giant pandas achieve sexual maturity between the ages of 4 and 8.[13] It has been reported that upon reaching this milestone, he would become part of a breeding program credited with increasing panda populations until they could be removed from the endangered species list.[14] Some scientists disagree with this assessment and assert that, although the number of pandas in captive breeding programs like this one is growing, multiple threats to wild pandas still exist.[15] As of November 2024, Bei Bei lives at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base of the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in southwest Sichuan.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "US and China first ladies name US panda cub Bei Bei". BBC News. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Aww! Panda Cub Bei Bei Is a 'Precious Treasure'". LiveScience.com. September 26, 2015. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Julia Zorthian. "Panda Cub Named Bei Bei at National Zoo". Time. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ "'It's a boy!' the National Zoo says of surviving giant panda cub". Washington Post. August 28, 2015. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ "US-born Bei Bei settles into new home at Chinese panda base". WTOP. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Michael E. Ruane (September 25, 2015). "National Zoo's giant panda cub is officially named Bei Bei". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  7. ↑ "National Zoo's giant panda cub makes debut". CNN. January 17, 2016. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  8. ↑ "First ladies reveal panda cub name: Bei Bei". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015.
  9. ↑ Ley, Matthew (November 19, 2019). "National Zoo hosts 'Bye Bye, Bei Bei' ahead of the giant panda being sent to China". ABC News.
  10. ↑ "Giant Panda Bei Bei Arrives in China on Board the FedEx Panda Express". FedEx. November 20, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Giant Panda Bei Bei Departs Smithsonian's National Zoo for China". Smithsonian National Zoo. November 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2026. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Bei Bei Goes Home". KirkusReviews.com.
  13. ↑ "Giant Panda". Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
  14. ↑ "US-born Bei Bei settles into new home at Chinese panda base (Update)". Phys.org. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ "China declares pandas no longer endangered—but threats persist". National Geographic. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021.
  16. ↑ Tang, Didi. "The winner in China's panda diplomacy: the pandas themselves". phys.org. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
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