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  • Bao Bao: Baby Panda Goes Out to Play (Video)

    Bao Bao: Baby Panda Goes Out to Play (Video)

    All babies are adorable. But, giant panda baby Bao Bao’s first venture into the big, wide world is too much for anyone to stand.

    Little 7-month-old Bao Bao went outside for the first time Tuesday to frolic in the National Zoo’s “cub-proofed” panda yard with momma panda Mei Xiang.

    According to zoo officials, the cub spent two hours outside, climbing on one of the smaller trees and playing with a piece of bamboo.

    “She was a little apprehensive in the first few minutes, but once Mei Xiang, her mom, came a little bit closer and she realized where her mom was, she made that connection,” said zookeeper Juan Rodriguez.

    “We put some extra hay out there just in case she decided to go out a little farther on the rock work, and if she did fall, she would fall on a big pile of hay, so we made sure that all the area was sort of ‘baby-proof,’ if you will,” said Rodriquez.

    Pretty certain zookeepers consider this little panda cub like one of their own kids. And what proud “parent” doesn’t capture their little one’s milestones? So, yes, the adventure was captured on video for the world to admire.

    Bao Bao — “treasure” in Chinese — was born on August 23, 2013. Her birth is a rarity and her mother, Mei Xiang, was artificially inseminated by father Tian Tian. Bao Bao is only the second surviving cub born at the facility since 1972.

    The other panda born in the National Zoo was Bao Bao’s older brother named Tai Shan, who is now in China where he is reportedly in a breeding program there.

    Giant pandas are an endangered species. There are currently only several hundred giant pandas in captivity and only 2,000 alive in the world today.

    Pandas first arrived at the National Zoo in 1972 following President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bao Bao: Baby Panda Ventures Outside

    What could be cuter than a baby panda? How about one that is experiencing the outside for the first time in its young life. Baby Bao Bao was treated to her first day out at the National Zoo and seemed to enjoy herself as she attempted to climb trees and explored her surroundings.

    Bao Bao played outside for about two hours, with her mother Mei Xiang watching carefully nearby. Before the playful panda cub could be allowed outside, zookeepers had to baby proof the outdoor areas so it was safe for her to explore.

    The baby proofing included shaving trees and putting rings around them so the cub could not climb too high and get stuck or fall and get hurt. They also spread hay underneath the trees to help cushion the area incase Bao Bao would fall.

    Bao Bao was born August 23, 2013 and is the pride and joy of the National Zoo. Her name translates to “treasure” or “precious.” Any time a panda is born in captivity, the world rejoices. Pandas are an endangered species and are threatened by habitat loss and very low birthrates.

    Attempts to help save the Pandas and increase Panda populations have been somewhat successful, and there have been several Panda cubs born in zoos and other facilities around the world. There are over 200 Pandas that are currently living in captivity in China and around 25 in other countries.

    Conservation reports show that there are about 3,000 Pandas living in the wild. Populations seem to be increasing, but not fast enough for the Panda to be removed from the endangered species list.

    Now that Bao Bao has been allowed to explore the outdoors and has done well with it, she will be allowed to do so more often and will likely become a zoo favorite.

    What do you think of baby Bao Bao?

    Image via YouTube

  • Bao Bao Gets To Play Outside For The First Time

    Bao Bao, the baby giant panda cub at National Zoo in Washington, got to play outside for the first time on Tuesday.

    Zoo officials said Bao Bao would be allowed to go out once the weather got a little warmer, and cub-proofed the play area by placing barriers on the trees so she couldn’t climb too high and soft bales of hay below in case she fell. As long as the temperature is warm enough and there’s no rain or snow, Bao Bao will be allowed to venture out each day to play in her mother Mei Xiang’s area.

    Pandas have captivated humans for decades, and little Bao Bao is no exception. Because the creatures are rarely social and only mate during a brief window of time, the birth of a baby panda is a big deal. In fact, female pandas will show signs of pregnancy after mating even if they aren’t pregnant due to hormones, and it’s nearly impossible to tell if a baby is on the way until she actually goes into labor.

    Bao Bao’s mother, Mei Xiang, did mate with a male but never conceived, so she was artificially inseminated. When Bao Bao was born last summer, the event made headlines and kept zoologists captivated–and hard at work–for days.

    Image via YouTube