Washington USA January

Tai Shan the famous giant panda cub is on his way to China to join a breeding program to help save the wild giant panda population.

See a video of Tai Shan in the snow at his going away party. Watch the panda cub turn to face the camera when a little girl calls his name.

A party was held for him at his home, the National Zoo in Washington. Many people were sad at his parting especially the zoo curator Erika Bauer. Tai Shan and other pandas in the zoo are on loan from China. There are 13 pandas on loan to US zoos. Tai Shan weights 200 pounds but will not be able to breed for at least 2 years when he reaches maturity.

There are only about 1,600 pandas in the wild in China so they are critically endangered. Another panda, 3 year old ‘Mei Lan’ bred at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia USA will also join him on the plane. They will become a breeding pair to hopefully produce little pandas to be released into the wild population in China.