Adorable Panda Bao Bao is Leaving DC Zoo

WASHINGTON, DC — The Smithsonian National Zoo is about to lose Bao Bao. She will be leaving the zoo in the first few months of 2017 to head back to China under the breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA).

All panda cubs born at the zoo are to be returned to China by the time they turn 4 years old under the agreement, according to a statement from the zoo.

"Bao Bao is very special to us at the Smithsonian's National Zoo," said Brandie Smith, associate director of animal care sciences, in a statement. "She was the first surviving cub born at the Zoo since 2005. She's captured the hearts of people all over the world who watched her grow up on the panda cams, and she has been an ambassador for conservation. We are sad to see her go, but excited for the contributions she is going to continue to make to the global giant panda population."

Bao Bao will get one last send-off party before she departs for China, and the zoo will be releasing details of that celebration soon.

In the meantime, Bao Bao's keepers will be preparing her for the move. They will get her used to her travel crate, and one keeper and one veterinarian will accompany her on a trip to China.

"They will stay with her for a short time while she settles into her new home at one of the bases run by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP)," the statement reads. "When she reaches sexual maturity between 5 and 6 years old, she will enter the breeding program and we hope she will have cubs of her own."

Image via Smithsonian