Giant Panda Tai Shan licks his birthday cake on his fourth birthday Thursday, July 9, 2009 at the zoo in Washington. The cake was a frozen combination of water, beets and beet juice while enhancing it with bamboo and fruit. At age four, he is considered a teenager in "bear years". (AP Photo/Smithsonian National Zoo, Mehgan Murphy)

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Cake looks yummy. Adding the beets not only adds nutritional value, but makes it look very festive too! Tai Shan looks delighted to have something frosty eat in the summer heat.

Pandas are national celebrities and draw big crowds at the National Zoo. I can see why. They're just so cute.  They could be dangerous,  but you forget that when you see those cute beady eyes and fuzzy coats.  All they seem to do is eat bamboo lazily and lounge around all day. 

When I visited the National Zoo in 2004,  they had their own 'first couple.'  Two pandas that didn't seem very interested in each other.  I remember a keeper saying that the female was in heat and they were hoping they'd mate. 

Success! A year later,  this cub, who's now 4 years old, was born. Animal Planet's documentary of the birth and the months that followed showed a regimented care schedule for mother and cub.  When the cub was old enough to go outside, this furry little ball tried to climb tree stumps and rolled around in the grass, much to the delight of zoo visitors.

Tags: national zoo, panda, smithsonian, tai shan

This entry was posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 9:00 am and is filed under photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.