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10-17-2005, 08:43 AM
washingtonpost.com
Panda Cub Named Tai Shan
By Karlyn Barker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 17, 2005; 8:55 AM
Call him Tai Shan.
That is now the official name of the National Zoo's giant panda cub, announced with much fanfare Monday morning during a ceremony outside the Panda House that celebrated the cub's benchmark, 100 days old birthday.
The Chinese name, pronounced tie SHON, means "peaceful mountain." It drew 88,245 votes- or about 44 percent-of the 202,045 votes cast worldwide in the zoo's online poll to dub the cub.
Tai Shan beat out four other panda name choices, each previously approved by the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The losing monikers were Qiang Qiang, which means "strong, powerful" (66,195 votes); Sheng Hua, which means "Washington China" (18,146 votes); Long Shan, which means "dragon mountain" (16,100 votes); Hua Sheng, which means "China Washington" (13,359 votes).
The zoo's new director, John Berry, revealed the winning name before a crowd of Smithsonian Institution and Chinese officials as well as zoo employees and visitors. There also was entertainment by traditional Chinese dance troupes, a martial arts performance and special activities for children.
Tai Shan missed the festivities. He is still ensconced in the den where he was born July 9, hidden away from the public except for the zoo's 24-hour, closed-circuit camera that tries to capture his every move for the zoo's Web site. His mother, Mei Xiang (may shawng), has been reluctant to let him venture out. When keepers have tried to move the cub to an area where visitors could see him, she has quickly dragged him back to the den.
Zoo officials had hoped to put Tai Shan on public view next month; they are now shooting for a public debut in December, at the earliest. The animal park plans to offer timed-entry tickets to people wanting to see the cub.
The size of a stick of butter at birth, the cub quickly developed from a pinkish, hairless and sightless creature into a robust bear with the distinctive black and white markings that have made giant pandas a popular attraction at zoos. At his eighth medical exam last week, 10/12 he measured 25.5 inches from head to tail and weighed 12.7 pounds. He has started to toddle around his den and has become an armful for his mother.
Giant pandas are an endangered species, with about 1,600 living in the wild in China. The zoo has been trying to breed pandas for three decades. Its first pair of mating giant pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, a gift from the Chinese government in 1972, produced five cubs- but none lived longer than a few days.
Mei Xiang and her mate, Tian Tian (t-yen t-yen), came to the zoo in December 2000 under a 10-year, $10 million loan agreement with China. The privately raised funds, including another $600,000 to exhibit the cub, are earmarked for giant panda conservation efforts.
The cub, conceived in the spring by artificial insemination, is the property of China and will be sent to that country sometime after his second birthday.
Zoos in San Diego, Atlanta and Memphis also pay China to exhibit giant pandas. The San Diego Zoo has had two successful cub births.
Today's naming ceremony followed the Chinese custom of waiting to name giant panda cubs until they are 100 days old, when their survival is believed assured.
The Panda House remains closed to the public until Tai Shan goes on display. But the outdoor yards are open, and both Tian Tian and Mei Xiang can often be seen there.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
Panda Cub Named Tai Shan
By Karlyn Barker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 17, 2005; 8:55 AM
Call him Tai Shan.
That is now the official name of the National Zoo's giant panda cub, announced with much fanfare Monday morning during a ceremony outside the Panda House that celebrated the cub's benchmark, 100 days old birthday.
The Chinese name, pronounced tie SHON, means "peaceful mountain." It drew 88,245 votes- or about 44 percent-of the 202,045 votes cast worldwide in the zoo's online poll to dub the cub.
Tai Shan beat out four other panda name choices, each previously approved by the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The losing monikers were Qiang Qiang, which means "strong, powerful" (66,195 votes); Sheng Hua, which means "Washington China" (18,146 votes); Long Shan, which means "dragon mountain" (16,100 votes); Hua Sheng, which means "China Washington" (13,359 votes).
The zoo's new director, John Berry, revealed the winning name before a crowd of Smithsonian Institution and Chinese officials as well as zoo employees and visitors. There also was entertainment by traditional Chinese dance troupes, a martial arts performance and special activities for children.
Tai Shan missed the festivities. He is still ensconced in the den where he was born July 9, hidden away from the public except for the zoo's 24-hour, closed-circuit camera that tries to capture his every move for the zoo's Web site. His mother, Mei Xiang (may shawng), has been reluctant to let him venture out. When keepers have tried to move the cub to an area where visitors could see him, she has quickly dragged him back to the den.
Zoo officials had hoped to put Tai Shan on public view next month; they are now shooting for a public debut in December, at the earliest. The animal park plans to offer timed-entry tickets to people wanting to see the cub.
The size of a stick of butter at birth, the cub quickly developed from a pinkish, hairless and sightless creature into a robust bear with the distinctive black and white markings that have made giant pandas a popular attraction at zoos. At his eighth medical exam last week, 10/12 he measured 25.5 inches from head to tail and weighed 12.7 pounds. He has started to toddle around his den and has become an armful for his mother.
Giant pandas are an endangered species, with about 1,600 living in the wild in China. The zoo has been trying to breed pandas for three decades. Its first pair of mating giant pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, a gift from the Chinese government in 1972, produced five cubs- but none lived longer than a few days.
Mei Xiang and her mate, Tian Tian (t-yen t-yen), came to the zoo in December 2000 under a 10-year, $10 million loan agreement with China. The privately raised funds, including another $600,000 to exhibit the cub, are earmarked for giant panda conservation efforts.
The cub, conceived in the spring by artificial insemination, is the property of China and will be sent to that country sometime after his second birthday.
Zoos in San Diego, Atlanta and Memphis also pay China to exhibit giant pandas. The San Diego Zoo has had two successful cub births.
Today's naming ceremony followed the Chinese custom of waiting to name giant panda cubs until they are 100 days old, when their survival is believed assured.
The Panda House remains closed to the public until Tai Shan goes on display. But the outdoor yards are open, and both Tian Tian and Mei Xiang can often be seen there.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company