DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2010]) -- Notes:
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Description of Pictures: My last chance to see Tai Shan, this time on a bright sunny day.
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Copyrights: Standard stuff. All pictures were taken by Bruce Guthrie who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use. If used in a publication or web site, please give appropriate attribution (such as "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie"). If they're used in a publication, I'd love to receive a free copy of the publication. You are not authorized to resell these pictures or make a profit from them. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from official signs on location; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.
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Description of Subject Matter: This section is used on this site and may include several animals: pandas and red pandas.
Panda: Here are Tian Tian (the male) and Mei Xiang (the female). If you can't tell the difference, the male is slightly bigger (and a year older) and the black coloring on his legs only go up to his knees. The female's black coloring goes up to her thighs. Of course the pandas have their own Web site at http://pandas.si.edu/ That web site lets you read about every sordid detail of their sex life together. A cub named Tai Shan ("peaceful mountain") was born through artificial insemination in July 2005 so you'll see him periodically in pictures after that. (The original pandas that Nixon brought home from China were named Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing.)
Red Panda: After the Zoo accidentally poisoned it's two main red pandas in an attempt to kill off rats, there was a major public outcry. A new pen was prepared and a red panda named Jiao came from Michigan's Potter Park Zoo in May 2004. The enclosure provides better viewing of the animal. Since they began studying them in 1972, the Zoo has been responsible for the birth of over 150 red pandas in its facilities.
(Sign at the zoo) The original panda: For nearly 50 years, these animals were known to the western world as "pandas." Then, in 1869 a missionary discovered a black-and-white, bear-like, bamboo-eating animal with teeth strikingly similar to the panda's. This new animal was named the "giant panda," and the original panda came to be known as the "red panda." Ninety-eight percent of the red panda's diet was bamboo.
Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
SINZP_100201_022.JPG: This was the window he could use to stare at his parents. He'd hang there periodically, seeing them for the last time.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages here that have content directly related to this one:
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1981_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [1981]) (2 photos from 1981)
1998_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [1998]) (16 photos from 1998)
1999_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [1999]) (1 photos from 1999)
2000_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2000]) (1 photos from 2000)
2001_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2001]) (19 photos from 2001)
2002_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2002]) (83 photos from 2002)
2003_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2003]) (20 photos from 2003)
2004_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant and red pandas [2004]) (17 photos from 2004)
2005_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant and red pandas [2005]) (35 photos from 2005)
2006_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant and red pandas [2006]) (305 photos from 2006)
2007_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant and red pandas [2007]) (21 photos from 2007)
2008_DC_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2008]) (6 photos from 2008)
2010_01_23B_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2010]) (46 photos from 01/23/2010)
2010_01_30B_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2010]) (53 photos from 01/30/2010)
2010_02_01A_SINZ_Panda: DC -- Natl Zoological Park (giant pandas [2010]) (24 photos from 02/01/2010)
The National Zoological Park opened in 1889. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The original inhabitants were animals currently on display on the Mall when the Smithsonian taxider ...More...
Generally-Related Subject Pages: Other pages here that have content somewhat related to this one:
2005_DC_FONZ_Viewing_051117: DC -- FONZ 2005 Viewing -- Tai Shan cub pre-opening donor event (41 photos from 2005)
2006_DC_FONZ_Event_060709: DC -- FONZ 2006 Event -- Tai Shan's first birthday event (85 photos from 2006)