As part of a celebration for Bao Bao’s departure, the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. released this “greatest hits” compilation of their favorite giant panda darling.
Watch Bao Bao’s birth, tiny human-like cries, checkups, to growing into a big cuddly black-and-white teddy bear. She rolls down a hill on her first snow day and struggles to eat bamboo in the most adorable way.
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On February 21, the zoo is shipping Bao Bao via FedEx to China, where she’ll join a panda breeding program. But they’re not packing her in peanuts and cardboard for the ride: Bao Bao will have a keeper alongside for the long journey.
When she reaches sexual maturity in two to three years, she’ll be tasked with repopulating the giant panda species. Pandas were recently taken off the endangered species list, but continue to be a vulnerable species. Bao Bao is such a sensation because she’s one of the rare few ever born in captivity in the United States. There are 1,864 giant pandas in the wild in China today.
Male pandas in captivity have never seen other pandas procreate, and are confused about what to do with a female who’s ready to mate, the Week reports: They “stand there like a man who has just opened a large box from Ikea and has no idea what to do next.” Dude.
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For Bao Bao’s farewell celebration, Chinese Embassy chefs made dumplings, a traditional bon voyage meal, for guests of the zoo today:
Dumplings! Made by Chinese Embassy chefs, join us 2/16 @ 10 a.m. to kick off #ByeByeBaoBao https://t.co/Q9goEWbuSP pic.twitter.com/AkcH1TMKkd
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) February 15, 2017
Bao Bao also got dumplings, but hers were apple-filled.
Watch the full video from the Smithsonian National Zoo:
