Bei Bei has been selected as the name for the little panda cub born a month ago at the National Zoo. Both First Lady Michelle Obama and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan made the big reveal on Friday to the public, according to The Wall Street Journal, and we were on pins and needles waiting for the new name. The naming event was moved up to coincide with the visiting First Lady of China and was held at the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Bei Bei means "precious treasure" and also matches his two-year-old sister's name, complimenting it well. Her name is Bao Bao.
The David M. Rubenstein Panda Habitat remains closed to the general public and is scheduled to remain closed until Bei Bei is about four months old, so expect no visiting the cutie until 2016. But you can always watch the Panda Cams, as previously reported by HNGN. These cams have been extremely popular, especially in and around Washington D.C.
"My daughter, Malia, has done several internships here and comes here often, even though you don't know it. She is a fan," the first lady said, according to ABC News. "She can now operate under cover, so she comes and goes and you don't even know it. We are grateful for everything you do to make this a national treasure."
"We do need more bonds to bring the people of our two countries ever more closer," Peng Liyuan said through an interpreter. "And I think giant pandas are exactly one of those bonds that we can celebrate to achieve that goal."
Bei Bei is scheduled to go to China to live when he turns four years old.
