In July of 2005, a small squeaky miracle occurred at Washington's National Zoo. It had been over 33 years since Ling-Ling and Shing-Shing had arrived from China. That pair had managed to produce several cubs, but none that survived beyond a few days. In 2001, Washington welcomed a vivacious new pair of bears, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and immediately we all began wishing for a cub. That miracle finally arrived in the wee hours of July 9, 2005. His name was Tai Shan, which is "peaceful mountain" in his native language. [Maris] and I jumped at the chance to see him every chance we got when he made his big debut the following winter. For a number of reasons, the photos are less than perfect, but here are the first few. Above, our first glimpse of the sleeping baby in his indoor enclosure.
A bucketful of cute, including his favorite toy, a miniature soccer ball.
By January 2006, he was climbing, but not very well. Following a big fall or some other shock, he would retreat to his favorite spot next to the fence, to recuperate.
By March of 2006, his climbing skills were getting better...
... but Mei was an attentive and careful first-time mom, and she always had the upper paw. Plus, she appeared to have an overpowering NEED to lick the little guy...
... all over ...
... all the time ...
"Oh just you wait, mom. I'll be big enough to jump on your back and bite you like there's no tomorrow!"More to come. It gets even cuter.
