Photo by Dan Dan The Binary Man.

You’ll have to excuse me if I get a little verklempt tomorrow morning while putting together the Morning Roundup — after all, tomorrow will mark one year to the day from which we published what has to be one of the saddest photosets in this fair blog’s history, documenting Butterstick’s departure from the National Zoo.

So how’s our buddy doing? Quite well, it would appear:

Tai Shan lives at a breeding center in a beautiful, mountainous area of China. Caretakers at the center have been helping Tai Shan adapt to his new surroundings, according to earlier news reports, by feeding him a wider variety of foods than he had been eating here and teaching him to respond to commands in Chinese.

This will be an exciting year for Tai Shan because he will be introduced to a mate. The lucky girl has yet to be selected, however.

Sniffle. We’re missing out on all the good stuff.