Qing Bao's 4th birthday party warms hearts at Washington zoo

A lively crowd gathered at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, on Friday to celebrate Qing Bao's fourth birthday. The female giant panda, who arrived from China last October, celebrated her first birthday at the zoo with a fun-filled event, drawing visitors from around the world.

Staff set the scene with honey-smeared "gift boxes" filled with sweet potatoes, scattered carrots, and playful balls for Qing Bao.

The highlight was a fruit-and-ice cake, featuring a large "4" and ice heart, brought in by keepers.

When Qing Bao entered, she first showed interest in the carrots and played with a ball before the cake drew her attention. Her first bite was met with a chorus of "Happy Birthday" from the crowd. After enjoying the treats, she climbed a tree to rest, drawing "awws" and smiles from the audience.

In recent weeks, Qing Bao showed signs of pseudopregnancy, a condition where female pandas exhibit pregnancy-like symptoms, such as sleeping more and being sensitive to noise, despite not being pregnant. According to the zoo, keepers kept a close eye on her during the celebrations.

Bao Li, Qing Bao's male companion, celebrated his fourth birthday on Aug 4, also enjoying a colorful frozen fruit cake. "It was fun watching her soon-to-be mate have his birthday a few weeks ago when he turned four. And now she's four," said longtime zoo visitor Craig Salvas to China Daily.

Visitors shared touching stories of how pandas have become a part of their lives, igniting joy and forging connections. Panda enthusiast Stephanie Smith expressed her heartfelt affection for Qing Bao. "We love you so much," she proclaimed, recalling meeting Qing Bao's father as a cub and Tai Shan, the cub of former zoo panda residents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, in Dujiangyan, China. Tai Shan was born in 2005 and returned to China in 2010.

"You've made my life so special. You make all of our lives special … and I can't say thank you enough," said Smith, offering blessings to Qing Bao and other pandas.

Sanpetch, a software developer who accompanied his wife, brought a professional camera to capture the moment. He said they visited Qing Bao earlier this year in March and April, returning for her birthday. "They're just lovely animals. Wonderful," Sanpetch said. "Happy birthday. She looks wonderful."

Craig Salvas has a decades-long bond with the zoo's pandas. "I have been coming here since the first pandas came to this zoo in 1973, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, and watched them grow up, grow old here," he said. "And then when Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came in 2000, watched them grow up and have four babies: Tai Shan, Bao Bao, Bei Bei and Xiao Qi Ji."

The older three cubs returned to China for breeding programs, while Xiao Qi Ji left with his parents in 2023 when their agreement expired. "And then when they left with Xiao Qi Ji, then Qing Bao and Bao Li came here. So now we have those two pandas, and hopefully they'll have babies in a little while, and we'll watch them grow up," he said.