The Smithsonian National Zoo threw a large birthday bash filled with cake, treats and toys for their 4-year-old panda, marking her first party at the Washington park.
Qing Bao, one of two giant pandas who arrived at the National Zoo last October, greeted visitors with her new gifts and munched on a fruity, panda-friendly birthday cake prepared for her birthday on Friday.
Laurie Thompson, the assistant curator of giant pandas at the zoo, said it was a joy to watch Qing Bao happily celebrate her birthday and give spectators a show with her adorable antics, noting that the bear has become much more playful since arriving last year.
“It’s been really fun to see her personality emerge,” Thompson said in a statement. “She was very reserved and cautious when she arrived, but now she is much more confident!”
To celebrate the panda’s birthday, zookeepers got Qing Bao a shiny new ball to play with inside her exhibit, with the bear seen swatting it off the tree branch where it was left for her.
The zoo also littered the enclosure with boxes of pies for the panda, with Qing Bao rushing toward the one that read “4-Ever Sweet” to snack on the sweet potatoes left inside.
Qing Bao then made her way to the center attraction, the large pink birthday cake with a number four placed beside it, which she took a seat next to and before dining on the “fruitsicle.”
The National Zoo said the cake was a panda-friendly recipe consisting of pineapple, frozen diluted beet, and apple juices.
Like a typical bear, Qing Bao found herself wanting to take a nap after the big meal, with the panda opting to climb a nearby tree that she nestled herself into before snoozing.
The birthday girl is one of only two pandas at the National Zoo after three bears were sent back to China amid tense relations between Washington and Beijing.
Qing Bao and her zoo-mate, Bao Li, are set to live at the National Zoo for another nine years as part of an agreement with China, which owns all giant pandas in the world.
The zoo pays a $1 million annual fee to the China Wildlife Conservation Association for the pandas, which is funded by visitors, members and private donors.
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