Results tagged “taishan”

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.

Nbcwashington.com alerts us to the fact that Tai Shan, D.C.'s favorite panda son, has to get a colonoscopy today at the National Zoo. Apparently the 'stick has a little case of colitis, which must be horribly embarrassing for him when it acts up while he's entertaining his many fans. Any DCist readers with colonoscopy experience care to offer some pearls of wisdom to the furball? All we can think is to suggest relaxing, lying back and thinking of England, but that doesn't seem quite right.

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!

The fickle nature of the giant panda's reproductive system has foiled us once again. The National Zoo gave up the ghost this morning and announced that Mei Xiang's latest maybe-pregnancy won't result in an adorable panda cub for us to hug and squeeze and love forever.

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?

Good morning, Washington. Think good thoughts for Tian Tian, the National Zoo's male giant panda and the biological father of Tai Shan/Butterstick. Tian Tian underwent eye surgery yesterday to remove inflamed tissue from one of his third eyelids. He's expected to make a full recovery, but in the meantime he'll have to live with the shame of being the one to expose this whole pandas having third eyelids monstrosity. DCist has always held a firm editorial stand that pandas are adorable, but after learning this fact we may have to convene our board to reconsider.

Good morning, Washington. Can you feel the excitement in the air? That's right: it's Taxi Decision Day. Will District residents get a shiny new meter system, or have to make our peace with zones for the foreseeable future? Or will we be treated to a metered zone hybrid/abomination? It'll be just a few hours until we find out. Immigration Measures Elicit Passion, Lawsuits: The Post reports on the scene in Prince William County, where...

When the District's resident panda cub was born two years ago, zoo officials inadvertently compared the tiny, hairless creature to a stick of butter. Since then, Tai Shan has always been Butterstick to those who love him the most.

A begrudging Mazel Tov from DCist to the city of San Diego is in order, as the Associated Press reports that Bai Yun, the San Diego Zoo's female panda, is definitely pregnant. Bai Yun has been put on "24-hour birth watch" after officials detected a fetus and fetal heartbeat through ultrasound images on July 18. More tests confirmed the pregnancy and the zoo made an official announcement yesterday. As you'll no doubt recall, Mei Xiang,...

Tai Shan, aka Butterstick, is 2 years old today. The National Zoo gave the furball a birthday treat made of apples, pears, and bamboo frozen in beet juice and water -- and a giant number 2 that apparently scared him quite a bit when it fell over. It's no beersicle, but it'll do. Happy birthday from all of your pals at DCist, Tai Shan.

Welcome back to work, Washington. This week promises not only to feel longer than normal thanks to its coming on the heels of a holiday, but also hot enough that you might want to consider setting up an ad-hoc shower in your office, as there's little chance you'll get there without breaking into a sweat first. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has issued a Code Orange alert because of the heat wave, and...

Woe is all of us this morning, as the National Zoo has officially announced that Mei Xiang is not really pregnant after all. Real panda pregnancies are notoriously difficult to diagnose, and this time, unlike two years ago, the hormonal spike recently tracked in the mama panda was a symptom of a false pregnancy. Sniff. This makes Mei Xiang's fourth pseudopregnancy. She had three before giving birth to Butterstick (aka Tai Shan), her only cub...

Washington's most beloved toddler won't be sent to an unfamiliar country to participate in a forced breeding program. At least not yet. The irrepressibly cute Tai Shan, who turns two on July 2, has been given a reprieve by the Chinese government and will be staying at the National Zoo, at least for a while. Though the cub is a natural-born citizen of the U.S., an agreement with China says that any offspring from...

>> We realize it's been a while since we stirred the pot on Butterstick mania, but there's a new way to celebrate your love for all things panda. Keds has their own (surprisingly cute) panda shoes. No, they're not made of real pandas, but these canvas creations might be some comfort after Tai Shan is ripped from our grasp and shipped off to China this fall.

When Butterstick's official name was to be chosen, the National Zoo put the decision in the hands of us, the normal folk. Now they're looking to do the same with the three newest additions to the zoo's stock -- the tiger cubs.

Tonight is the night -- we'll be celebrating Butterstick's one-year of cuteness at Chief Ike's Mambo Room in Adams Morgan, 1725 Columbia Road, NW. And in his honor, we've gotten some good drink specials lined up -- $5 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Paulaner Hefeweizen's, and $3 Pabst drafts. From what the zoo folks tell us, Butterstick loves his Pabst. There will also be some good music on both floors.

Tomorrow it is — we shall be gathering at Chief Ike's in Adams Morgan starting at 7 p.m. to celebrate Butterstick's first full year of life. We're encouraging anyone who's planning on coming to dress in black and white, a little token nod to our favorite panda cub. And in the spirit of the celebration, we'll be giving a way a prize-pack of panda-related goods to one lucky reader. Of course, nothing comes for free.

The Butterstick juggernaut rolls on today, as NBC 4 fills a content gap with a story on how the little fellow, now eight months old, has switched from merely chewing on bamboo to actually swallowing the stuff (he also tries to get ahold of his mother's fruitsicles, which sounds dirty, but they're really just fruitsicles). And, of course, we swallow the stuff, happily clicking on the link and receiving as our reward images of the little devil, who remains dangerously cute.

Yesterday I received the latest edition of Zoogoer, the magazine for members of Friends of the National Zoo. On the back, there is an advertisement for the upcoming ZooFari benefit, the theme of which is "Black and White Night." Of course there is an adorable photo of a certain baby panda. The tagline? "Everything goes better with Butter." Yes, the National Zoo acknowledged in one of its print publications that everyone refers to Tai Shan as Butterstick. (I believe the copy says Tai Shan is "affectionately known as Butterstick.")

The Year of the Dog kicked off with a bang yesterday, as revelers celebrated the traditional Chinese New Year's festivities by eating, eating, and eating some more, writes the Examiner. Residents and visitors alike packed Chinatown's many eateries for chicken, dumplings, and mandarin oranges as a parade proceeded down H Street. Chinatown is home to a number of traditional Chinese restaurants, including China Doll, Chinatown Garden, Tai Shan, Li Ho, Chipotle, Hooters, Potbelly, and...

Six months on, and we're still not calling him Tai Shan. He's Butterstick, and he basked in even more attention than usual yesterday as he turned six months old. A hefty 27 pounds and boasting a newly-blackened nose, Butterstick has been all the rage in the District as of late -- those who haven't yet seen him in the flesh have opted instead for the voyeuristic Panda Cam, watching and awwing his every move. While...

Good morning, Washington. Like every other publication in town, we can't resist a good cover photo of the baby panda. We know how little Tai Shan feels: sometimes we also feel a little apprehensive and just want to peek around corners. The photo was posted along with two other by Flickr user randomduck. Today will be cloudy with highs in the 30s.

Great wall of Chinese take-out! Tom over at Unrequited Narcissism has uncovered what could be the most gruesome scandal to hit the District, nay, the entire country in decades. The information he reveals is a call to arms, and when there is war in the name of Butterstick, you can count on DCist to strap on plenty of ammo and indiscriminately shoot into crowds, regardless of the presence of innocent bystanders, as long as we...

Good morning, Washington. Now that the National Zoo has doled out public tickets, more photos of the baby panda are appearing online. Flickr user guy_incognito has uploaded an adorable set of photos of Butterstick/Tai Shan. Although we don't want to make you too jealous, this DCist will be taking a peek today. Turning to the news, yesterday was one of those days when all kinds of odd news improbably happens on the same day. What...

Yesterday a select group of National Zoo donors were given first crack at seeing the District's newest four-legged sensation, Butterstick (yes, officially he is called Tai Shan, but National Airport is also officially known as Reagan and we're not about to start calling it that). Parents and children took the opportunity to ohhh and ahhh their way past the undeniably cute panda cub and mother Mei Xiang, while those of us too cheap to donate money to the cause are left with little more than the voyeuristic Panda Cam.

Good morning, Washington. We hope you had an enjoyable weekend - whether it was checking out the D.C. United game (they tied Chicago 0-0 and will play again next weekend), discovering the FSM in the Metro, or checking out Howard's homecoming. Be prepared for wet weather today - today will be cloudy with rain developing later in the day and temperatures in the 50s.

Last night over 250 District voting rights activists attended an event they probably all wished they wouldn't have to celebrate -- DC Vote's Champions of Democracy 2005 award ceremony. Held in the Madison Hotel along 15th Street, attendees came together to share in food, drink, and mutual indignation over an undeniable and odious injustice forced upon the city's 600,000 residents -- the inability to vote for members of Congress. Beneath the pleasant social atmosphere ran...