TAI SHAN AT THE NATIONAL ZOO
One of the cutest and mostly highly endangered creatures in the animal world is the Giant Panda. There are only about 1600 left in the wild and some 160 in captivity. Tai Shan is the first baby panda to survive at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. He is part of a 10-year, $10 million agreement with the Chinese and his parents will remain here until 2010. It is hoping to negotiate a new, cheaper pact to keep Tai Shan’s parents longer but Tai Shan will return to China when he turns 2.
Pandas are incredibly difficult to breed and remain dependent on Mom until nearly 2. Considering the mom’s window of fertility is only a few days a year it is clear why the reproduction rate is so slow. I was able to see the pandas at the San Diego Zoo last year and these lovely animals are absolutely enchanting in person.
Here is a photo posted by the Washington Post here and there are some wonderful slide shows to view too. In the meantime enjoy!
