Adorable Giant Panda Bei Bei Enjoys A Snow Day

By - 445 words

Language

Reading Level

Listen to Article

Giant panda Bei Bei frolics in the snow (Credit: Devin Murphy/Smithsonian's National Zoo)

The severe winter storm that pummeled parts of Washington, D.C. with as much as six inches of snow on February 20, 2019 had most residents scrambling for the safety and warmth of their homes. However, Smithsonian's National Zoo's giant panda Bei Bei was not among them. The adorable three-year-old had the time of his life playing in the mounds of fresh powder that helped Washington, D.C. retain its stature as the snowiest major city on the US East Coast this year.

In the video released by the zoo's officials, the endearing giant panda is seen rolling in the snow, climbing on trees, and leaping off branches. His mother, 20-year-old Mei Xang, kept a watchful eye on her juvenile son while snacking on some delicious bamboo. Though father Tian Tian was nowhere to be found, it was he who first exposed a reluctant Bei Bei to snow in January 2016, when the giant panda was just six months old.

Mei Xiang keeps a watchful eye on Bei Bei while snacking on bamboo (Credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

Born on August 22, 2015, Bei Bei, which means "precious treasure" in Mandarin, is the result of a cooperative breeding partnership between the Smithsonian's National Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Under the agreement, all giant pandas born to Mei Xang and Tian Tian, who are on loan from the Chinese government, have to be sent to the Wolong Nature Reserve in China's Sichuan Province at age four to prepare them for breeding.

Though separating Bei Bei from his parents at such a young age may appear cruel, zoo officials say he is unlikely to miss them. That’s because, in the wild, giant pandas typically spend between 18 months and two years with their mothers before leaving to lead a solitary life. Zoo-born Bei Bei has followed a similar path and has been living in his own enclosure since early 2017. Hopefully, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang will have another cub before the adorable giant panda turns four.

Bei Bei rolls around in the snow (Credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

Endemic to China, giant pandas are easily recognizable by the distinctive black patches around their eyes, over their ears, and across their necks and limbs. Unfortunately, thanks to climate change and loss of habitat, they are the rarest members of the bear family and one of the most endangered animals in the world. The latest consensus, conducted in 2014, discovered just 1,864 giant panda specimens in the wild. Though low, it is a significant improvement since the 1970s, when the animal's numbers had dwindled to less than 1,000. Hopefully, with some help from Bei Bei, and his older siblings Bao Bao and Tai Shan, who are already at the Wolong Nature Reserve, the population of the playful, cuddly bears will continue to increase.

Resources: CNN.com Dailymail.co.uk, nationalzoo.si.edu,smithsonianmag.com.

Workbook

Get the Workbook for this article!

Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)
Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
1527 Comments
  • jinny
    jinnyover 2 years
    lol
    • songunicorn17
      songunicorn17almost 3 years
      I have a cam of all the animals in the zoo I love Bei Bei we are cam pals! Even though she does not know I exist! 🐼🐼🐼💚💛💜💙❤
      • kittiesmama
        kittiesmamaover 3 years
        PANDAS!! SO CUTE!
        • searchlight
          searchlightover 3 years
          Aww Bei bei is adorable! ❤️
          • hibobnowitall
            hibobnowitallover 3 years
            Lol so cute!
            • x_goddess_x
              x_goddess_xover 3 years
              totally cute!
              • jakevaka-159578310549
                I love panda okay every body please follow me please .
                • derpy_doggie4
                  derpy_doggie4over 4 years
                  Awwwww cute
                  • octopus1234
                    octopus1234over 4 years
                    I'm Chinese, and I love pandas! (Fun fact, Bei Bei is 北北 (North North) in Chinese.) Also, I wish the panda could stay!
                    • someperson1
                      someperson1over 3 years
                      That's so cool, I'm learning Chinese in school, and I learned panda yesterday, 熊猫 (Xiong Mao), and even more, if you separate the characters it means bear cat.
                    • lovetoread26
                      lovetoread26over 4 years
                      Pandas are my fav!! I have met the wonderful pandas mentioned in this article twice before, and I was sad when Bei Bei moved to China. He had his own private jet! I actually started learning Mandarin, and working at the Wolong Nature Reserve is my dream job. So glad they made an article about this!