Celebrity Panda Eats Shoots and Leaves Back to China
By: Ansley Brown
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Nation/World
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"Thank you so much for your kindness and support. It was rough time. You helped to make it a little easier. Thank you," the Tai Shan fan said.
Since his birth at the zoo on July 9, 2005, Tai Shan, the panda, has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the National Zoo, many of them being incredibly sad now that their unofficial district mascot has to be moved to his new home in China. Many of these devoted fans can be spotted at the zoo daily. They sacrifice their free time to capture this approximately 300 pound heavy panda bear on pictures and film. Tripods leaning against the thickening bamboo are a clear sign that visitors are entering into pandaholic territory on the Asian Trail, leading to the Panda's exhibit. One of the loyal fans is Daniel Reidel, a 26-year-old IT-associate from Washington, DC. His love for pandas is apparent by the little panda pin on the key chain around his neck.
The last four and a half years of his young adult life he has been visiting to the National Zoo at least every other weekend to visit Tai Shan. His dedication has led to him accumulating over five million pictures of the Giant Panda. When asked about his feelings about Tai Shan leaving the U.S, Reidel only shrugs his shoulders. "China wants him," Reidel said.
Not only does China want him, they also have the legal right to have him. "According to the policy, every panda in the world, regardless where he was born, belongs to China, so they have the right to claim him for breeding purposes once the cub reaches the age of two," Reidel said. So in Tai Shan's case, China has already extended the period for two and a half more years. Although Daniel had been aware of this policy right from the start, he could not help but grow attached to the Giant Panda. "I've seen him grow up and now it's like letting your kid take off to College," he said.
