WASHINGTON — At almost five months old, and weighing close to 25 pounds, giant panda cub Bei Bei will go on public display at the National Zoo on Saturday.
Named by Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan, the first ladies of the United States and the People’s Republic of China, Bei Bei will have his choice of wandering the panda house and its outdoor enclosure.
The panda house will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Visitors should use the Asia Trail entrance, across from the Visitor Center.
Flash photography and video with handheld devices is permitted inside the panda house.
In fact, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo has set up a “selfie station” inside the panda house, where visitors will be able to snap photos with the hirsute heartthrob, if he decides to pose instead of nap.
Large crowds are expected, and the zoo is warning fans that cub behavior is unpredictable, so sightings can’t be guaranteed.
Bei Bei is the third surviving offspring of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who also live at the zoo with their second cub, Bao Bao, who was born in 2013. Bei Bei’s twin died soon after being born. The couple’s first surviving cub, Tai Shan, lives in China.
