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

Salvas has been photographing animals for zoo outreach and fundraising events. "Pandas are beautiful animals. I actually love all the animals here at the zoo." He said he also visited pandas at the Beijing Zoo, "people are nice to us", as well as in Toronto, Atlanta and San Diego.

On his impression of China, Salvas said, "We've actually met several people from China over the years who've come here, either as part of the team of people that care for pandas back at Wolong, where our pandas are from, and even some people from Chengdu who've come here. But I've met more Chengdu people at Zoo Atlanta because their pandas were Chengdu pandas."

"We've all become friends with each other," he said.

Rachel Widener, who drove from Philadelphia, wore panda-themed attire. "I'm here to say happy birthday to Qing Bao," she said.

She also mentioned that Xiao Qi Ji's birth during COVID offered solace. "It really gave a lot of people, including myself, something to cling on to for hope and happiness, watching the pandas grow up together with love and happiness. It's been really nice."

"It's been great to come and visit them again. And of course, I was going to be here for the first birthday party," Widener added. She hopes to visit China someday. "Absolutely. Pandas. Yes."

Bao Li and Qing Bao arrived in Washington under a new 10-year agreement last October, debuting publicly on Jan 24, 2025. The zoo's panda program began in 1972 with Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, and last year marked the 50th anniversary of the program with special Pandaversary events. Other pandas living in the US include Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, who arrived in San Diego on June 27, 2024, and debuted on Aug 8.

The zoo's nutrition team, working in a kitchen-like commissary, prepared Qing Bao's cake over three weeks. Senior nutritionist Mike Maslanka explained to China Daily several days before the party: "It's set up very much like a restaurant kitchen where food service, sanitation is very important to us, ingredient quality is very important to us, and assembling diets very accurately is important."

"Giant pandas are obligate for nutrients, but the nutrient profile that they need is delivered in, typically, a single item. And that single item is bamboo," said Maslanka. Bamboo, harvested from partner sites and stored fresh, dominates their diet. Other foods like butternut squash, preferred by Qing Bao and Bao Li, add variety.

Brittney Hudgens crafted the cake. "Predominantly, it is ice. However, we have mixed in some juices, like pineapple juice and a little bit of apple juice," she said. It included carrots for Qing Bao's preference, following a "candy or sweets" theme.

Maslanka, after a working trip to Chengdu, China, in July, said: "It was us sharing information, and our colleagues from China sharing information with us. So, it was very fruitful."