The National Zoo’s newest arrival, baby panda Bao Bao will make her public debut on Jan 18th. Bao Bao was born early on August 23 but is now 13 pounds and healthy. She has started training and will be going on display with her proud mother next month.
In a press release dated December 18th, The National Zoo states that Bao Bao and her mother Mei Xiang will be going on display on Jan. 18th. The pair will be on display for limited amounts of time as Bao Bao gets used to the public. The amount of time she can be seen will depend on her behavior, zoo official say. They also said that she will have access to her den and will be allowed to use it as much as she wants.
Bao Bao has started training and gets treats for participating, reports NBC. Zoo trainers giver her small shoots of bamboo or evergreen as a reward for interacting with them. Her treats will get bigger as she grows and chooses to interact more.