A panda enthusiast nearly missed the chance on Tuesday to fulfill her lifelong ambition of seeing every giant panda in the United States.
Pam, a “panda fanatic” from Utah, has spent more than 20 years traveling coast to coast, taking photos and savoring moments with the black-and-white creatures, which have long been considered a rare and endangered species.
Bao Bao, the National Zoo’s 3-year-old female giant panda, had been on her “bucket list” of pandas to visit. When Pam learned of Bao Bao’s scheduled departure, she booked a last-minute flight to the capital.
“I was so sad,” said the 50-something Utahan, who declined to divulge her last name. “I thought, ’OK, I really have to go now.’”
Bao Bao’s stay in the States came to an end Tuesday afternoon, when the beloved bear was shipped to Chengdu, China, as part of a longstanding loan agreement.
Most of the world’s giant pandas are on loan from China, and cubs born abroad are sent there before they turn 4 years old. There are now only 11 pandas left in the U.S.: three at the National Zoo and eight others at zoos in Atlanta, San Diego and Memphis.
“I’ve tried to make it my personal goal to see all of them,” said Pam, who enjoys wildlife photography in her spare time. “But I’ve been fascinated with pandas since I was little, probably in fifth or sixth grade.”
Pam may be one of only a few people who have seen every panda in the country, but scores of people joined her in coming to see Bao Bao.
In the weeks leading up to her trip, the panda received hundreds of visitors from around the world, and the zoo held numerous going-away celebrations in her honor.
Zoo Director Dennis Kelly and Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia to give Bao Bao her last send-off before she boarded her custom-decaled “FedEx Panda Express” plane.
“Today is bittersweet,” Mr. Kelly said. “We’ve watched Bao Bao grow up during the past three years, and she has charmed people all over the world with her independent and playful personality.
On her flight Bao Bao enjoyed the finest of first-class dining: Her bear-size “suitcase” contained more than 50 pounds of bamboo, two pounds of cooked sweet potatoes, two pounds of apples and 10 gallons of water.
“I’m sure she’ll be very happy,” said Pam, laughing. “All they do is eat, sleep and poop, anyway. That’s kind of the life of a panda.”
Although Bao Bao probably would have been happy to make the journey alone, as pandas are solitary in the wild, she was accompanied by a zoo veterinarian and her lifelong handler on the 8,508-mile trip.
Once in Chengdu, Bao Bao will be quarantined for 30 days at Dujiangyan Panda Base before she’s allowed to settle into her new habitat. In two to three years, she will enter a breeding program, which aims to increase the number of new pandas that are released into the wild.
Pam, who made the trip to Washington with her parents, said that while she is heartbroken to see Bao Bao leave, she has hopes for the panda’s future in China.
“There are a ton of panda fanatics out there,” she said. “And I know some people could care less. But to see them up close is a rare and wonderful opportunity, and I had to see her off.”
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