#ByeByeBaoBao: DC says goodbye to giant panda Bao Bao

WASHINGTON - Monday is the last full day visitors can see Bao Bao - the 3-year-old giant panda - at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The zoo will hold several celebratory events Monday leading up to her departure Tuesday afternoon.

Bao Bao was born in August of 2013 at the zoo and is a part of the National Zoo's cooperative breeding program with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. As part of the agreement with China, the pandas can stay until their 4th birthday.

Bao Bao's flight to China will be about 16 hours. Since she loves bamboo, they are going to take 50 pounds of it along with sweet potatoes and apples.

The panda is the first surviving cub born at the National Zoo since 2005. Her older brother Tai Shan left the National Zoo for China back in 2010. Their youngest sibling, Bei Bei, was born last year in August.

#ByeByeBaoBao Schedule:

Monday, February 20

9:30 a.m. - Panda Packing (the Smithsonian's National Zoo staff get Bao Bao ready for her trip to China.)

10 a.m. - Ice Cake Party (Bao Bao enjoys a celebratory ice cake treat prepared by the Zoo's Department of Nutrition Science.)

1:30 p.m. - Suitcase Enrichment (Bao Bao receives a "suitcase" with symbols of her hometown and a symbol of her future home in China.)

Tuesday, February 21

10:00 a.m. - Bao Bao's Zoo Departure (Bao Bao departs from the Zoo.)

1:30 p.m. - Bao Bao at Dulles Airport (Bao Bao departs Dulles International Airport on the "FedEx Panda Express," a custom-decaled 777F aircraft.)

MORE ONLINE: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/events/bye-bye-bao-bao