panda

Panda cub in Washington is thriving ahead of public debut

Panda cub in Washington is thriving ahead of public debut

18 Photos

WASHINGTON (AP) — If the youngest giant panda cub at the National Zoo is stressed out about appearing in front of crowds for the first time, he isn’t showing it.

Keepers were expecting Bei Bei (BAY BAY) to squawk and squirm during an audience with a small news media contingent Monday. Instead, under bright television lights with cameras clicking, he quickly fell asleep on an examination table, leaving a small puddle of drool on the tablecloth.

Panda biologist Laurie Thompson explained that before he went in front of the cameras, Bei Bei was playing with a piece of bamboo and trying to walk. Just like a newborn human, he tires easily.

“I’m very proud of him,” Thompson said. “Obviously, he wasn’t too bothered by all the people here. This is just the beginning for him as far as people go.”

Bei Bei is ready for his close-up. The cub will make a few appearances before selected audiences ahead of his public debut on Jan. 16, when the panda house will reopen. That’s also around the time Bei Bei will be sure enough on his feet that he’ll get to venture into the outdoor panda habitat for the first time.

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Sept. 26 Photo Brief: Russian Arms Expo 2013, fertilizer fire in Brazil and an adorable baby Panda in Taiwan

Sept. 26 Photo Brief: Russian Arms Expo 2013, fertilizer fire in Brazil and an adorable baby Panda in Taiwan

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Russia shows off it’s military might during the “Russian Arms Expo2013,” in Brazil they battle a large fire at a fertilizer depot, in Taiwan the Taipei City Zoo releases new photos of the panda cub born in July and more in today’s daily brief.
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August 11 Photo Brief: Perseids meteor shower, drone strike in Yemen, flamingos

August 11 Photo Brief: Perseids meteor shower, drone strike in Yemen, flamingos

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A multiple exposure photo taken of a Perseids meteor shower, drone strikes continue in Yemen, flamingos on Fuente de Piedra lake and more in today’s daily brief. | Warning: Visual coverage may depict injury and/or death.
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Jan. 11 Photo Brief: A panda in Snow World, Golden Power acrobats, a wolf man in London and Kate Middelton’s natural painting

Jan. 11 Photo Brief: A panda in Snow World, Golden Power acrobats, a wolf man in London and Kate Middelton’s natural painting

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Kate and Will think her new official portrait is beautiful but critics disagree, the Circus of Horrors rehearses in London, the Harbin International Ice and Snow World festival draws a crowd in China, the Hungarian ‘Golden Power’ acrobats rehearse for the Grand Circus of Budapest and more in today’s daily brief.

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August 23 Photo Brief: Violence in Mexico, beating the heat in Macedonia and snuggling pandas

August 23 Photo Brief: Violence in Mexico, beating the heat in Macedonia and snuggling pandas

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Mexican authorities shoot it out with criminals, a mother panda cuddles with her cub in Vienna, mourners gather for miners slain in South Africa and more in today’s daily brief.
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August 14 Photo Brief with a 17-foot snake, a 4-inch elephant fetus, a 60-foot beached whale and a giant panda’s 9th birthday

August 14 Photo Brief with a 17-foot snake, a 4-inch elephant fetus, a 60-foot beached whale and a giant panda’s 9th birthday

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A 17-foot-7-inch Burmese python weighing 164 pounds and carrying 87 eggs is caught, killed and studied in Florida, a 60-foot female fin whale perishes on the English shore, the first artificially inseminated elephant continues to thrive in utero and more in today’s daily brief.
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