Results tagged “butterstick”

Bai Yun, the San Diego Zoo's female panda, just thinks she's soooooo great, doesn't she. She's been popping out babies left and right over the last few years, already having had four to our own Mei Xiang's one, and then just to pour salt in the wound, she had to go and have a fifth one yesterday. Well la-di-dah, San Diego. Aren't you friggin' special.

The National Zoo once again rolled out the fanfare for superstar giant panda Tai Shan this morning, as D.C.'s favorite ball of fur (and stick of butter) turned 4. Now a teenager in "bear years," the panda dug into a three-tiered, frozen "cake" made out of water, beet juice, bamboo and fruit that was prepared by Zoo staff. Crowds of onlookers were on hand early this morning to watch the panda dig in to his treat and wish him a happy birthday.

Man, the Washington Post really knows how to twist the knife while the wound is still fresh. Just a day after we all learned that the National Zoo's female adult panda, Mei Xiang, wasn't pregnant after all, Postie Michael E. Ruane files a story reminding us that Tai Shan, our beloved stick o' butter who's now all grown up, will eventually be sent back to China. Oh, and that day could come sooner than you think. Thanks, man. You also had something to tell us about Santa Claus, right?

Yesterday, NBCWashington.com got exclusive access into the operating room during Butterstick's colonoscopy -- and there's good news: the big guy's got a completely clean bill of health.

Flickr user RoxandaBear recently uploaded this insanely cute video of Tai Shan eating an apple to our DCist Videos group. We couldn't ever get enough Butterstick, but we also can't help but notice that the Videos group is a little lacking in the non-adorable animal department. Our Flickr Photo group has become its own vibrant online community, and we'd love to see that same kind of participation in our Videos group. So let this be a reminder to you that you can submit video content to DCist either through our Flickr group or by tagging your YouTube videos with "dcist". We look forward to seeing what you're seeing out there!

For the non FONZ members of the reading audience, Tian Tian is the adult male giant panda at the National Zoo. That is to say, he's the Butter Daddy. He and Mei Xiang are to thank for bringing that lovable little fella we call Butterstick into the world. Of course, as is custom for giant pandas, there isn't a relationship between the father and his offspring (beyond the occasional glimpse through the fence; they live in separate but adjacent pens as male pandas don't play a role in raising offspring). And today is his birthday! A virgo like myself (that might explain all those independent tendencies), today marks his 11th glorious year on the planet. Does anybody know anything about panda years? Are they like dog years?

It was three years ago today that the National Zoo welcomed Tai Shan into the world. We fell in love immediately with the little fella, whom we named after the first press release deemed him the "size of a stick of butter." The Zoo later officially gave him a different name (despite our best efforts otherwise).

The Associated Press has a shameful story this morning accusing the National Zoo's beloved panda cub, Tai Shan (aka Butterstick), of injuring a zookeeper. Pandas don't do anything wrong, AP! They are only adorable and cuddly and lovable and that's all. Didn't you get the memo?