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Media Advisory: Farewell Celebration for Giant Panda Bei Bei

  • Giant panda Bei Bei sniffs an elaborate and colorful ice cake with bamboo sticking out from the top
    Giant panda Bei Bei and his celebratory cake at the Bye Bye, Bei Bei event on Nov. 16, 2019.
  • Giant panda Bei Bei eats bamboo while a crowd looks on
    Giant panda Bei Bei munches on bamboo at the Bye Bye, Bei Bei celebration on Nov. 16, 2019.
  • Two levels of crowds look on as Giant panda Bei Bei sits on a hammock
    Visitors at the Bye Bye, Bei Bei celebration on Nov. 16, 2019.
  • Giant panda Bei Bei munches on a stalk of bamboo.
    Giant panda Bei Bei munches on a bamboo stalk.
  • Giant panda Bei Bei sits on a hammock in his outdoor enclosure.
    Giant panda Bei Bei sits in a hammock.
  • Giant panda Bei Bei sits in a tree appearing to wave
    Giant panda Bei Bei in a tree.
  • Giant panda Bei Bei as a cub sleeping on a blanket
    Giant panda Bei Bei as a cub.

WHAT:

“Bye Bye, Bei Bei” (BAY-BAY,) a series of online and on-site celebratory events to bid a fond farewell to giant panda Bei Bei before he departs for China.

WHEN:

Nov. 11 to Nov. 18
Complete schedule of online and onsite events: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/events/bye-bye-bei-bei

Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Zoo staff available for individual interviews
RSVP to Devin Murphy, murphyd@si.edu

WHERE:

Online: #ByeByeBeiBei and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

On-site:
David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat
Smithsonian’s National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Note: Media requesting to film daily enrichment should call (202) 633-3055 to make arrangements.

WHO: 

Giant panda keepers 

Giant panda Bei Bei will be celebrated with a series of public farewell events from Nov. 11 to 18. Fans can pick up a postcard memento at the Zoo and write their own notes to Bei Bei that will travel with him to China. For fans joining the festivities remotely, Panda Cam 1 will show Bei Bei 24/7. Bei Bei will receive special treats and toys twice each day. All three of the Zoo’s giant pandas will receive ice cakes at 9 a.m. on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 in honor of Bei Bei’s farewell. In addition, free hot chocolate will be served on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17.