At the National Zoo. I grew up with Ling Ling and Sing Sing, who are no longer here. I wonder sometimes what happened to them. Did they die? Did they eventually have to go back to China?
This is Tian Tian. He and his mate Mei Xiang had a baby not too long ago, which was the biggest boon our zoo had seen in many years. They kept the baby around for a little while, but since our pandas are on loan from China (as opposed to the gift that Ling Ling and Sing Sing were), the baby panda Tai Shan technically belonged to China and they took him.
There is something about that that makes this exhibit sad for me.
What an expression you caught here! I keep going back to looking at his teeth. Yes, I wonder what may have happened to them in China too. Could make a good magazine article. "My search for my Teddy Bears'.
ReplyDeleteNice shot again. That is sad about Tai Shan having to leave his parents. I hope he's doing well.
ReplyDeleteHe was chomping that bamboo like nobody's business!! He was so cute we all would like to have snuck into the habitat to hug him.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there is probably somewhere info on what happened to Tai Shan. He's probably in another zoo somewhere, but having a baby is such a huge deal in panda world, and having him live is even bigger. It just seemed to wrong to take him when he was so young.