Giant
Officials at Washington, DC's National Zoo have announced that Tai Shan, the wildly popular four-year-old Giant Panda, will return to his parents' Chinese homeland in early 2010.
Bye Tai
"It's hard to say goodbye," said acting National Zoo Director Steve Monfort, "but we are so thankful for the many memories and huge opportunities Tai has provided to the National Zoo." Tai will move to the Wolong's Beifengxia Base in Ya'an, Sichuan, where he will enter the breeding program.
Yum!
The zoo celebrated Tai Shan's fourth birthday with a three layer cake made from water, bamboo, shredded beets and beet juice.
Souvenirs
Giant Panda stuffed dolls for sale in Washington demonstrate the public's affection.
Fans
Millions of visitors have queued up to see Tai Shan since he was born.
Big and Slow
Having grown to over 200 pounds in weight, the name "Tai Shan" fits: it means "peaceful mountain."
Well-Liked
Only a few months old when he was debuted to the public, Tai Shan created a frenzy amongst the public. Some 13,000 timed tickets to see him disappeared within two hours; some showed up on eBay trading for up to $200 a pair.
Rules
As part of the loan agreement with the Chinese government, any pups born to Mei Xiang (pronounced may-SHONG and appearing upside-down in the photo above) and her mate must be returned to China. The parents are on a 10-year, $10 million loan to the zoo that expires next year.
Cutey-Pie
Tai Shan (pronounced tie-SHON) was born to two Chinese-born pandas on loan to the National Zoo. This photo was taken when the cub was around five months old.
source: Time.com