National Zoo names 100-day-old panda cub Bao Bao

Surae Chinn | WUSA-TV, Washington

Show Caption Hide Caption National Zoo panda cub gets a name The National Zoo's baby panda name is now Bao Bao, which means precious or treasure.

Voters had five names to choose from

The female cub was born Aug. 23

Bao Bao will be unveiled to the public in 2014

WASHINGTON — At 100 days old and with more than 123,000 votes online, the female giant panda cub at the Smithsonian's National Zoo has a name, Bao Bao.

It means "precious" or "treasure" in Chinese. The Chinese government owns pandas at the zoo here and elsewhere across the USA; the endangered species' only habitat in the wild at present is in China.

In Chinese tradition, 100 days marks a big milestone in a baby's life, and the zoo here marked the occasion with a naming ceremony filled with dance and dignitaries.

Following a crowd-led count down, two scrolls revealed the panda's name in English and Chinese characters. Bao Bao is pronounced bow-BOW.

"We were thrilled! That is what we wanted and voted for," said Susan Wilmeth, who voted for Bao Bao. "Yay, Bao Bao!"

Ling Hua, ling-HWA; Long Yun, long-YOON; Mulan, moo-LAHN; and Zhen Bao, jen-BAO, were among the names from which voters also could choose. Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, panda keepers at the National Zoo, the fundraising group Friends of the National Zoo and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda submitted the names. Friends of the National Zoo submitted the chosen name.

Emily Mackinnon, 12, came from Pennsylvania for the big announcement.

"I voted for Mulan because I think it's a pretty name, but I still like Bao Bao. I think it's a cute name," she said.

"I think it's a great day" said Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the United States. "We have a good name for the panda, and everyone is so excited."

Visitors who want to see Bao Bao in person will have to wait a little longer. Zookeepers are predicting that she will have her public debut in early 2014, perhaps even early January. Mei Xiang, may-SHONG, has been caring for her cub in the panda den since Bao Bao was born Aug. 23.

"It's not for lack of trying on Mei Xiang's part. She's been taking her out on field trips as we like to call it," animal keeper Nicole MacCorkle said. "But it will be a little bit longer before she's ready to explore the outdoor world. Bao Bao is very fitting. She is a treasure."

Until then fans can check out Bao Bao's progress on the National Zoo's Giant Panda Cam.

Bao Bao is only the second surviving cub born at the National Zoo since the first pandas arrived in 1972 to commemorate President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China. Pandas have remained a happy symbol of diplomacy between the two countries.

Mei Xiang's only other surviving cub, a male named Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and was returned to China in 2010 for breeding. Male panda Tian Tian, tee-YEN tee-YEN, is the father of both cubs.

Giant pandas are considered critically endangered in the wild, and breeding them in captivity has proved difficult, especially in Washington. Zoo scientists have made numerous attempts to artificially inseminate its female panda because the pair failed to breed naturally.

The new birth has given zoo scientists renewed confidence in the Washington pandas' ability to help grow the panda species.

Last year, Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub, but it died after six days because its lungs hadn't fully developed and weren't sending enough oxygen to its liver. The zoo's first panda couple, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, had five cubs during the 1980s, though none lived more than a few days.

Contributing: The Associated Press