Giant Panda

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Tai Shan was born at 3:41 am on July 9, 2005, to Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the National Zoo's second pair of giant pandas. The first pair, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, were donated to the U.S. by China in 1972 after Richard Nixon's historic visit; Ling-Ling died in 1992 and Hsing-Hsing in 1999 without producing any cubs that survived more than a few days. Both of Tai Shan's parents were born at the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province. Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in March 2005 with sperm from Tian Tian after natural mating appeared unsuccessful. Per the agreement with China, the Chinese government can require Tai Shan be sent to China any time after he turns two, as he and his parents are property of China. The National Zoo announced in April 2007 that it reached an agreement with China to let Tai Shan remain at the zoo until at least July 2009. Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong presented Tai Shan a 'passport' with an extended stay period to July 2009, without extra charge.

In Their Own Story

Following a Chinese tradition, panda cubs are not named until they are 100 days old. Before he got a name, the cub was popularly referred to as Butterstick because immediately after his birth, a zoo worker described him as being about the size of a stick of butter. The name caught on with bloggers and became quite popular. In fall 2005, the National Zoo announced the cub's name would be chosen through an Internet poll with five traditional Chinese names approved by the China Wildlife Conservation Association: Hua Sheng, Sheng Hua, Tai Shan, Long Shan, and Qiang Qiang. 'Butterstick' was not included. Some bloggers protested; there was even an attempt to hack the poll to allow voters to select Butterstick. Despite these efforts, Tai Shan was chosen, winning 44 percent of the 202,045 total votes cast. Tai Shan made his public debut on December 8, 2005, after the National Zoo issued 13,000 free timed entry tickets. These tickets were gone within 2 hours, and some were quickly offered for sale on eBay and craigslist with asking prices as high as $500 apiece.

Reader's Guide

Tai Shan became widely popular, frequently mentioned on D.C.-oriented websites like DCist and Wonkette, as well as traditional media including National Public Radio, The Washingtonian, The Washington Post, and The Washington Times. Fans set up sites selling cub-related merchandise, including one partnered with cafepress.com that donated approximately $1,900 in profits to the National Zoo. He was featured in an Animal Planet documentary titled A Panda Is Born, which follows the National Zoo's giant panda breeding efforts and Tai Shan's birth. A few months after his first birthday, Animal Planet premiered Baby Panda's First Year, following him during his first 12 months at the National Zoo. On July 9, 2006, Tai Shan and thousands of fans celebrated his first birthday at the National Zoo. As early as 7 am, visitors started to line up outside the panda exhibit, with the opening three hours away. One of his gifts was a giant custom-made fruitsicle with the number '1' on top. Such ice treats gave Tai Shan some gastrointestinal problems which he has now recovered from. After 2007, Tai Shan lived on his own at the zoo, because cubs leave their mothers at about two years of age and fathers play no role in cub rearing.

Did You Know?

• Tai Shan was also known as Butterstick because a zoo worker said he was about the size of a stick of butter right after birth.
• He was the first panda cub born at the National Zoo to survive for more than a few days.
• His name was chosen by an Internet poll, winning 44 percent of 202,045 votes.
• On his first birthday, he received a giant custom-made fruitsicle with the number '1' on top, which caused him some gastrointestinal problems.
• He left for China on February 4, 2010, on the same flight as Mei Lan from Zoo Atlanta.