Panda cub Bao Bao turns one
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E-mail China Daily, July 25, 2014
The National Zoo described Bao Bao as an ambassador for her species and her birth represents decades of cooperation between scientists in both China and the US.
Scientists have learned much about giant panda reproduction in the 42 years since Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing first arrived at the National Zoo following then US president Richard Nixon's ice-breaking trip to China.
The research's success has led to the more than 350 giant pandas now living in zoos and research centers around the world. And in China, scientists are preparing to begin reintroducing pandas born in captivity into the wild.
Bao Bao was the result of a precisely-timed artificial insemination performed by Chinese and American scientists.
On Aug 23, 2013, after 16 days of 24-hour behavior monitoring, the panda team learned that they had been successful when they watched Mei Xiang give birth to a tiny cub.
Bao Bao's parents were both brought to the US in 2000 and later gave birth to a male cub later named Taishan, who is now back in China for breeding. The China Wildlife Conservation Association and the National Zoo have extended the giant panda program through 2015.
Bao Bao received her name after a voting campaign joined by some 100,000 people across the globe. The celebration held at the zoo last Dec 1 featured videotaped messages from Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan and US first lady Michelle Obama.
The cub is fond of sleeping in trees and popsicles are her favorite food.
She has been participating in regular training sessions, but as always, only on her terms, wrote keeper Nicole MacCorkle on the zoo's website on July 14.
"On the days when she's focused, we make real progress - we build on old behaviors she has mastered, and learn new behaviors," said MacCorkle.
Besides Washington, three zoos in the US keep giant pandas on loan from China: San Diego, Atlanta and Memphis.
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