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Biologist Laurie Thompson holds Bei Bei inside his soundproof glass enclosed pen. People turned wearing hats, sweaters and gloves with pandas on them. Photo: AFP

‘Bei Bei is just so cute’: Hearts melt as panda cub makes his public debut at U.S. zoo

Washingtonians got their first close-up look at the new star of the National Zoo

For his public debut, Bei Bei mostly snoozed flat on his back - a big puff of black and white fur with fluffy black ears curled in a box corner of his mother’s den at the National Zoo.

Crowds stood captivated, and a few fans even fought back tears, as the giant panda cub scooted on his side, curling his paws around his fuzzy belly. The napping cub was oblivious to his rock-star status.

But Bei Bei's every little move prompted “pandamonium”.

“Bei Bei is just so cute, a little ball of fluff,” said Tess Wells, 24, a pharmaceutical student who travelled to Washington from North Carolina. Wells and her friends Shima Ghattab, 24, and Christie Duckett, 24, were among hundreds of panda lovers who began lining up outside the gates in the wee hours of Saturday morning before filing into the Asia Trail Entrance.

A visitor wearing a panda sweatshirt waits to see Bei Bei. Photo: AFP

Bei Bei, pronounced “bay bay,” was born August 22. Until Saturday, the cub, named by first lady Michelle Obama and China’s first lady Peng Liyuan, could be seen by most people only through the lens of the zoo’s panda cam, where he has a significant following and generated millions of clicks.

“It's a joy to present him to our visitors and our guests,” said Pamela Baker-Masson, director of communications for the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, who explained the public’s infatuation with the cub.

“There is something very special about giant pandas. They are extremely rare. Their natural habitat is in China. There are only four zoos inside the United States where people can see them.”

Their distinctive black and white markings, she said, add naturally to the charisma of pandas.

Watson Grace browses panda hats at the National Zoo in Washington. Photo: AFP

“A baby bear is incredibly adorable,” Baker-Masson said. “Some of their behaviour is interesting and mesmerising. That is why people watch them on the panda cam - the way they sit up and eat bamboo. They are appealing for so many reasons.”

Giant pandas are an endangered species, threatened by humans. Only about 1,800 are left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Bei Bei, whose name means “precious treasure”, lives at the zoo with his 2-year-old sister, Bao Bao, whose name also means “precious treasure”, and his mother Mei Xiang, whose name means “beautiful fragrance”.

Bei Bei's older brother, Tai Shan, who was born July 9, 2005, and whose name means “peaceful mountain”, lives in China in a conservation centre for pandas. (China owns and leases all giant pandas in US zoos, and by agreement, any cubs born in the United States are sent to China when they are 4 years old).

Bei Bei’s twin - who was never given a name - died when it was 4 days old after it inhaled some food product, which led to pneumonia.

Bei Bei’s father, Tian Tian, still lives at the zoo - although his mother and father are separated. (Because giant pandas are solitary in the wild, they live apart, zoo officials explained).

“They can see each other through a mesh 'howdy window', if they choose,” zoo officials say.

Zookeepers explained how to distinguish Mei Xiang from Tian Tian. The mother has black hip-high “stockings” extending up her hind legs. Tian Tian has black “knee socks”. His name means “more and more”.

As people waited to enter the panda house, they were able to see panda mother, dad and sister outside. They watched Tian Tian roam his den and eat bamboo. They saw Bao Bao sitting up and mum Mei Xiang stripping bamboo.

Giant-panda keeper Marty Dearie explained the differences in personality between brother Bei Bei and sister Bao Bao.

“Bao Bao was more independent at this age,” Dearie said. “She did what she wanted. Bei Bei seems to spend more time with his mother.”

Bei Bei is still taking milk from his mother. He has been nibbling on bamboo, although keepers are not sure whether he is actually consuming bamboo, Dearie said. “He is chewing it, and it is mostly falling out of his mouth. He may have eaten a leaf, but we are still watching.”

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