

Photo via Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Big news from the National Zoo:

“Bei Bei will make his public debut Jan. 16! @FONZNationalZoo member previews will be Jan. 8-15”

From their newsletter:

“Giant panda cub Bei Bei will go on public exhibit for the first time Jan. 16, 2016. In the past three months, he has transformed from a pink hairless cub weighing about 5 ounces to a robust 12.5-pound black-and-white cub capable of crawling and sometimes walking on his own.

The panda team has been monitoring him carefully since his birth Aug. 22. He is larger than both his older siblings Bao Bao and Tai Shan were at the same age. The panda house has been closed since August to give the mother and cub quiet and time to bond. When it reopens, the panda house will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.”

Ed. Note: Damn it, why did I let my Fonz membership lapse?!?!?