CRI’s Washington correspondent He Fei has the details.
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“Species conservation is at the heart of our mission at the National Zoo”, Skorton said, according to the news release.
Not only is a big, fat panda cub a joy in itself, it’s also a symbol of friendship between China and America.
Peng joked about pandas being so popular they appear on Washington subway metro cards and posters around town, but added that she was sad she missed Bei Bei’s birth on the zoo’s live panda camera.
The name is pronounced “Bay Bay” and when combined with his two-year-old sister’s name, Bao Bao, means “precious treasure”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife arrived in the United States Wednesday and will be taking part in a state dinner at the White House Friday night. “That’s a lot of responsibility for a cute animal like the giant panda…”
Officials said the cub is roughly 3 pounds, which is 10 times the weight of when it was born on August 22, reports the Washington Post. The announcement took some panda enthusiasts by surprise, since the zoo in the past has followed Chinese tradition of waiting 100 days to name the pandas. And the panda itself is an icon for our friendship with the US.
“I am delighted to learn that the American public has great affection towards the giant pandas,” she added, observing how Washington Metro fare cards feature a picture of a panda munching on bamboo. And this family is just extraordinarily special.
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In 1972, following President Nixon’s historic visit to China, the Asian country gave a pair of giant pandas to the National Zoo.
