Panda Tai Shan returning to China

(National Zoo) Tai Shan will be sent to the People’s Republic of China in early 2010, as stipulated in the agreement between the Zoo and the Chinese government. The exact date of his departure has not been determined due to the lengthy process of finalizing permits and preparing Tai Shan for the trip.
Under the agreement, giant panda cubs born at the National Zoo belong to China and are to be sent to the Wolong's Beifengxia Base in Ya'an, Sichuan sometime after the cub turns two. In April 2007, shortly before his second birthday, China granted the National Zoo a two-year extension for Tai Shan to remain in Washington, D.C.; that extension expired in July but the Zoo was provided a second extension to January 2010. Continued

Photo: Giant Panda, Mei Xiang, plays with son, 7 month old Tai Shan, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006, at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. Tai Shan was born on July 9, 2005, and weighs over 33lbs. White House photo by Shealah Craighead. (Via Wikipedia)