Hasta La Vista, Bei Bei: National Zoo's Panda Leaves DC for China

We knew this had to happen, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of feelings.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo — and all of D.C., basically — will bid farewell to its 4-year-old giant panda, Bei Bei, ahead of his big move to China.

On Tuesday morning, the popular young panda will board a special FedEx flight at Dulles International Airport for a nonstop flight to Chengdu, China. His flight is expected to depart sometime after 10 a.m. and will take about 16 hours. A panda team will monitor him continuously during the flight, according to the zoo.

All giant panda cubs living at the zoo move to China at age four, due to an agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Bei Bei celebrated his fourth birthday in August.

Like most 4-year-olds, Bei Bei will have plenty of snacks for his flight. In his case, that will be bamboo, apples, sweet potatoes, leaf eater biscuits and water.

His new home will be the Bifengxia Panda Base, one of the bases operated by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. A keeper from the American team will stay with Bei Bei while he adjusts to his new home.

Bei Bei will join the giant panda breeding program when he is between five and seven years old, according to the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

His departure will make his parents empty nesters. Their two older offspring, Tai Shan and Bao Bao, have also moved to China. However, the National Zoo said Bei Bei won't spend time with his siblings, since pandas are solitary in the wild.

The zoo hosted daily events ahead of Bei Bei's departure and has also been streaming 24/7 footage of Bei Bei on one of their panda cams.

Juliana Valencia contributed to this report.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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