Tai Shan (panda)

Tai Shan (zh-cp|c=泰山|p=Tài Shān, pronounced|tʰâi̯ʂán), popularly referred to as Butterstick ["Pandamaniacs Want 'Butterstick,'" "The Washingtonian", Garrett M. Graff, October 5, 2005.] ) is a giant panda born at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo) in Washington, D.C on July 9, 2005 at 3:41 AM. ["Cub Arrives With a Squeal", "Washington Times", Denise Barnes and Tarron Lively, July 10, 2005] He is the first panda cub born at the National Zoo to survive for more than a few days and is only the third to survive in the United States.

Lineage

Tai Shan is the first cub born to Mei Xiang (pronounced|mei̯ɕi̯ɑŋ) and Tian Tian (IPA| [tʰi̯ɛntʰi̯ɛn] ), the National Zoo's second pair of giant pandas. (The first pair, Ling-Ling (female) and Hsing-Hsing (male), were donated to the National Zoo by China in 1972, shortly after Richard Nixon's historic visit. Ling-Ling died in 1992 and Hsing-Hsing in 1999 without producing any cubs that survived for more than a few days.)

Both of Tai Shan's parents were born at the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province. Mei Xiang, his mother, was artificially inseminated in March 2005 with sperm from Tian Tian after natural mating between the pair appeared unsuccessful. Per the agreement with China, the Chinese government can require that Tai Shan be sent to China any time after he turns 2 as he, like his parents, is the property of China. (Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are technically being "leased" to the United States by the Chinese government in a ten-year, $10 million agreement, with the money to go to panda conservation research in China.) The National Zoo announced in April 2007 that it reached an agreement with the Chinese government to let Tai Shan remain at the National Zoo until at least July of 2009. The announcement was made when Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong presented Tai Shan a "passport" with an extended stay period to July 2009, without extra charge. ["Panda cub to remain at National Zoo until 2009", Baltimore Sun, April 24, 2007]

Naming

Following a Chinese tradition, panda cubs are not named until they are 100 days old. Before he got a name, the cub was popularly referred to as Butterstick because immediately after his birth, a zoo worker described him as about the size of a stick of butter. The name caught on with bloggers, and became quite popular.cite book |author=Lumpkin, Susan; Seidensticker, John |title=Giant Pandas |publisher=Collins |location=London |year= |pages= |isbn=0-06-120578-8 |oclc= |doi=]

In fall 2005, the National Zoo announced that the cub's name would be chosen through an Internet poll. There were five names included on the poll; all were traditional Chinese names approved by the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The choices were Hua Sheng ("China Washington" and "magnificent"),Sheng Hua ("Washington China" and "magnificent"),Tai Shan ("peaceful mountain"), Long Shan ("dragon mountain"),and Qiang Qiang ("strong, powerful") "Butterstick" was not included as an option. Some bloggers protested this decision; there was even an attempt to hack the poll, ["Pandamaniacs Want 'Butterstick,'" "The Washingtonian", Garrett M. Graff, October 5, 2005.] ["'Qiang Qiang'? 'Butterstick'? Cub Naming Contest Nears End," "Washington Post", Karlyn Barker, September 29, 2005.] allowing voters the option of selecting the name Butterstick. Despite these efforts, the name Tai Shan, meaning "peaceful mountain," was eventually chosen, as it had won 44 percent of the 202,045 total votes cast. ["DC Zoo Panda Cub Gets a Name: Tai Shan," "USA Today", Jacob Adelman, October 17, 2005.]

Media darling

Tai Shan made his public debut on December 8, 2005, after the National Zoo issued 13,000 free timed entry tickets. These tickets were gone within 2 hours, and some were quickly offered for sale on eBay and craigslist, with an asking price as high as $500 apiece. Tickets are no longer required to view Tai Shan.

The cub has also become widely popular; ["Paparazzi Get an Audience With the Panda", "Washington Post", Karlyn Barker, November 30, 2005] he is frequently mentioned on D.C.-oriented websites, such as "DCist" and "Wonkette", as well as traditional media outlets, including National Public Radio, "The Washingtonian", "The Washington Post", and "The Washington Times". Fans have set up sites selling cub-related merchandise, including one partnered with cafepress.com that donated approximately $1,900 in profits to the National Zoo.

The panda cub is featured in an Animal Planet documentary titled "A Panda Is Born", which follows the National Zoo's giant panda breeding efforts and Tai Shan's birth. A few months after Tai Shan's first birthday, Animal Planet premiered a documentary titled "Baby Panda's First Year", which followed him during his first 12 months at the National Zoo.

Tai Shan turns one

At the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Tai Shan and thousands of fans celebrated his first birthday on July 9, 2006. As early as 7 a.m., National Zoo visitors started to line up outside the panda exhibit, with the opening three hours away.

One of his gifts was a giant custom-made fruitsicle with the number one on top of another layer of a refreshing treat. Members of the media fought to catch the perfect pose of Tai Shan and his icy treat. Another one of his attention-grabbing gifts was a mini pool with a volleyball in it sponsored by Fujifilm.

References

*cite journal
last = Warren
first = Lynne
year = 2006
month = July
title = Panda, Inc.
journal = National Geographic Magazine
volume =
issue =
pages = 42–59

External links

* [http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm Smithsonian's National Zoo]
* [http://pandafans.org/blog/index.php/category/nz-cub/ Tai Shan Panda Fans]
* [http://www.wonkette.com/politics/butterstick/index.php Wonkette Butterstick Archive]