Dec
02

It’s a Bao Bao!

Panda-baby

The votes have been counted, the results are in and the baby panda at the National Zoo has a name. In accordance with Chinese tradition, the panda was named 100 days after her birth during a ceremony that featured lion dancers, musicians, Chinese snacks and an enthusiastic crowd.After remarks by the first ladies of the United States and China delivered via video, dignitaries unrolled scrolls to reveal the name chosen in an online contest: Bao Bao (rhymes with pow), which means “treasure” or “precious.”More than 123,000 votes came in from around the world, though that was well short of the 200,000 votes cast in 2005 to name Bao Bao’s brother, Tai Shan.

Michelle Obama, first lady of the United States, shares her congratulations on the naming of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s giant panda cub, born on August 23, 2013.

Check out the Zoo’s Flickr page for photos from the ceremony.

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Posted: 2 December 2013
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