Bye Bye Bao Bao

SARAH L. VOISIN—THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES

Bye Bye Bao Bao

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is saying goodbye to 3-year-old panda Bao Bao. She is headed to China. The 16-hour direct flight to Chengdu will be loaded with the bear’s favorite foods, including 55 pounds of bamboo, five pounds of apples, and two pounds of sweet potatoes. “Most of the flight, we hope she’s going to eat,” said panda keeper Marty Dearie, who will be joining Bao Bao on the trip. Dearie says pandas spend 13 to 16 hours a day eating.

Bao Bao has been preparing for the trip since her birth in 2013. From a very young age, trainers have taught her behaviors that will allow Chinese keepers to care for her. Bao Bao will eventually join China’s panda breeding program. The departure is “bittersweet,” said Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas at the National Zoo. But she believes Bao Bao is ready for the trip. “We’ve done our part, and we’re ready to send her to China so she can have her own babies someday.”

Do you think it is fair that the National Zoo has to give Bao Bao, the panda back to China? Why or why not?