We are human. There are so many different ways in which we react to the unhappy occurrences we experience throughout life. Washingtonians had the chance to emit such varying emotions publicly at the goodbye party for the National Zoo’s youngest giant panda on Saturday. Sure, Tai Shan will be here until Thursday, but people from all over the world — including chatty visitors from Massachusetts, Canada, and China — came to the Zoo to just get a peek of our pal Butterstick.

Most wanted but a last bit of memorabilia, one last photo to add to their collection. More than one woman shouted “Tai Shan, Tai Shan!” at the four-and-a-half year-old bear, who seemed content to stay close to the ground, reduce the amount of frigid wind against his belly and point his rear end up in the air after finishing a special goodbye cake.

The logical approach to digesting Tai’s imminent departure was also prominently on display. Christie Sampson, one of many of the frozen, panda-obsessed throng barely avoiding hypothermia behind tables among a myriad of white tents, attempted to break down why the departure was a good thing.

“We do not know exactly where Tai Shan is going,” she said. But that’s okay! As she explained: “He’s being flown into [Chengdu] and he’s going to a breeding facility.” Ms. Sampson proceeded to show off a series of impressive maps in which Smithsonian researchers had mapped out the perfect climate and social situations for a panda to be. Those manning the station even allowed me a scent of the incredibly pungent goo used to attract the pandas to areas where they can have their pictures taken — and if the bears like that stuff, it’s better to go somewhere where they can spray it in mass quantities. After all — who wouldn’t be okay with sending Butterstick to a better place?