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Meet Tai Shan, the Baby Panda
By Maranda Leggs
I have just been to the National Zoo to visit the very rare baby
Panda, Tai Shan that was born there on July 9, 2005 after an
artificial insemination by Zoo scientist. It is very uncommon to
have a baby Panda born in captivity and this baby is one that has to
be seen to be believed.
At the time of birth a baby Panda only weighs as much as a stick of
butter (about 4 ounces). When Tai Shan was first born the new panda
was only 6 inches long. He could not crawl until at least 3 months.
Tai Shan’s mother is Mei Xiang. Her name means “beautiful
fragrance”. She was born on July 22, 1998 in China at the Wolong
Giant Panda Research and Breeding Center in China. Mei Xiang came to
the National Zoo on Dec. 6, 2000. Tai Shan’s father is Tian Tian.
His name means “more and more”. He was born at the Wolong Giant
Panda Research and Breeding Center on August 27, 1997 and came to
the National Zoo at the same time as Mei Xiang.
Giant panda are not as friendly as they look. Like all zoo animals,
they can be dangerous to people. Even among themselves, giant panda
are not “cuddly,” they mostly prefer to be alone. But, I think Tai
Shan is just adorable.
The National Zoo in Washington, DC has long been a leader in giant
panda conservation since Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing arrived in 1972.
These two pandas became international celebrities and symbols of
endangered animals worldwide. Pandas are an endangered species
because like many other animals, they are loosing their habitat.
Giant Panda need forests with lots of bamboo to survive. The bamboo
forests are rapidly disappearing. Tai Shan’s mother and father
together eat about 80 pounds bamboo a day while the average person
only eats about 5 pounds of food a day.
When we went inside the Panda habitat we found many facts about the
new baby panda and also about his parents. There are wonderful
pictures and information all over the walls of the Panda House. The
father Panda is currently separated from the baby but the mother is
not. Tai Shan and his mother, share a den and another open area
where he can play and learn how to interact with his mother. She is
very protective of him. The day before my visit he stepped outside
this indoor area for the very first time.
At time of our visit the baby cub was fast asleep in the inside
enclosure. He is a very heavy sleeper! When we were visiting the mom
and dad where kept out side while the baby was inside. And he is one
of only 1,600 Pandas left in the world. The baby panda is so special
that the Zoo spends millions of dollars to keep him and his parents.
While we were waiting to see Tai Shan and we walked around the zoo I
saw many many posters announcing his arrival so that everyone would
come and see the new baby. The National Zoo is very proud of their
new little panda.
What Can You Do To Help Endangered Animals?
We all need to work together to help endangered animals. When you
visit the zoo you can learn a lot about what is going on to help
these animals. In the bookshop you can also buy books that tell you
what you can do. Supporting the Friends of the National Zoo will
also help. This organization is also known as FONZ. If you would
like to find out more about them and how they are working to help
endangered animals, you can visit their web site in the interest.
www.nationalzoo.org
Maranda Leggs just turned ten years old. She loves animals. She has
3 dogs and 3 cats of her own. She really enjoyed visiting Tai Shan
and learning about the giant pandas. Photos in this article were
taken by Maranda’s cousin Bryan Johnson. Bryan is 12 years old and
also loves animals. He has one dog and 3 cats. Bryan loved visiting
the zoo and took many wonderful photographs of many of the animals
including Tai Shan and his father, Tian Tian.
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