Tai Shan in June 2007

Tai Shan (Chinese: 泰山; pinyin: Tài Shān, IPA:[tʰaɪˈʂan], popularly referred to as Butterstick) is a giant panda born at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo) in Washington, D.C on July 9, 2005 at 3:41 AM.^[1] He is the first panda cub born at the National Zoo to survive for more than a few days and is only the third to survive in the United States. A fourth panda, a female cub named Su Lin, was born at the San Diego Zoo on August 2, 2005, and a fifth panda named Mei Lan was born at Zoo Atlanta on September 6, 2006. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 536 pixelsFull resolution (3872 × 2592 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 536 pixelsFull resolution (3872 × 2592 pixel, file size: 3. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Panda Bear redirects here. ... The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo or Washington Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington, D.C. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). ... ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ruth Harkness returns to the United States with Su-Lin. ... The world-famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest, most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mei Lan, 美兰 Atlanta Beauty, was born at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia on September 6, 2006. ... Zoo Atlanta is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited wildlife park and major attraction in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The 40 acre (16 hectare) zoo, founded in 1889, is located in Atlantas Grant Park and attracts around one million visitors a year. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Lineage

Tai Shan (7 months old in picture) with his mother Mei Xiang on Feb. 16, 2006

Tai Shan is the first cub born to Mei Xiang (IPA:[meiˈɕiɑŋ]) and Tian Tian (IPA:[tʰiɛn tʰiɛn]), the National Zoo's second pair of giant pandas. (The first pair, Ling-Ling (female) and Hsing-Hsing (male), were donated to the National Zoo by China in 1972, shortly after Richard Nixon's historic visit. Ling-Ling died in 1992 and Hsing-Hsing in 1999 without producing any cubs that survived for more than a few days.) Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Mei Xiang, or beautiful fragrance, is a female Giant Panda who lives at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. The cub that Mei Xiang produced with mate Tian Tian is the media darling and world famous panda Tai Shan, born July 9, 2005. ... Mei Xiang, or beautiful fragrance, is a female Giant Panda who lives at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. The cub that Mei Xiang produced with mate Tian Tian is the media darling and world famous panda Tai Shan, born July 9, 2005. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Tian Tian, or More and More, is a 275-pound male giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. The panda was born on August 27, 1997, at the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in the Sichuan Province. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... The elephant exibit at the National Zoo The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known in the United States as the National Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington, DC. Founded in 1889, it consists of two distinct installations: a 163 acre (0. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

Both of Tai Shan's parents were born at the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province. Mei Xiang, his mother, was artificially inseminated in March 2005 with sperm from Tian Tian after natural mating between the pair appeared unsuccessful. Per the agreement with China, the Chinese government can require that Tai Shan be sent to China any time after he turns 2 as he, like his parents, is the property of China (Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are technically being "leased" to the United States by the Chinese government in a ten-year, $10 million agreement, with the money to go to panda conservation research in China). The National Zoo announced in April 2007 that it reached an agreement with the Chinese government to let Tai Shan remain at the National Zoo until at least July of 2009. Mei Xiang, or beautiful fragrance, is a female Giant Panda who lives at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. The cub that Mei Xiang produced with mate Tian Tian is the media darling and world famous panda Tai Shan, born July 9, 2005. ...

Naming

Following a Chinese tradition, panda cubs are not named until they are 100 days old. Before he got a name, the cub was popularly referred to as Butterstick because immediately after his birth, a zoo worker described him as about the size of a stick of butter. The name caught on with bloggers, and became quite popular.^[2] For other uses, see Name (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Butter (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In fall 2005, the National Zoo announced that the cub's name would be chosen through an Internet poll. There were five names included on the poll; all were traditional Chinese names approved by the China Wildlife Conservation Association. "Butterstick" was not included as an option. Some bloggers protested this decision; there was even an attempt to hack the poll,^[3][4] allowing voters the option of selecting the name Butterstick. Despite these efforts, the name Tai Shan, meaning "peaceful mountain," was eventually chosen, as it had won 44 percent of the 202,045 total votes cast. ^[5] The name "Butterstick," however, remains a popular nickname for the panda around D.C. and on many websites. An opinion poll is a survey of opinion from a particular sample. ... Mount Tai (Chinese: æ³°å±±; pinyin: ) is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Taian, in Shandong Province, China. ...

Media darling

Tai Shan in his favorite tree in June of 2006

Tai Shan and mother in February 2006

Tai Shan made his public debut on December 8, 2005, after the National Zoo issued 13,000 free timed entry tickets. These tickets were gone within 2 hours, and some were quickly offered for sale on eBay and craigslist, with an asking price as high as $500 apiece. Tickets are no longer required to view Tai Shan. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2580 × 1932 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2580 × 1932 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x768, 459 KB) Summary Photograph by Bernardo Piereck Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x768, 459 KB) Summary Photograph by Bernardo Piereck Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... eBay headquarters in San Jose eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) eBay Inc. ... Craigslist is a centralized network of online urban communities, featuring free classified advertisements (with jobs, internships, housing, personals, for sale/barter/wanted, services, community, gigs, resume, and pets categories) and forums sorted by various topics. ...

The cub has also become widely popular;^[6] he is frequently mentioned on D.C.-oriented websites, such as DCist, FreeButterstick.org, and Wonkette, as well as traditional media outlets, including National Public Radio, The Washingtonian, The Washington Post, and The Washington Times. Fans have set up sites selling cub-related merchandise, including one partnered with cafepress.com that donated approximately $1,900 in profits to the National Zoo. A website, Web site or WWW site (often shortened to just site) is a collection of webpages, that is, HTML/XHTML documents accessible via HTTP on the Internet; all publicly accessible websites in existence comprise the World Wide Web. ... Screenshot of Gothamist. ... Wonkette is a blog published by Gawker Media that details the goings-on of the political establishment in Washington, DC. The site focuses heavily on gossip, humor, and the downfall of the powerful, as well as more serious matters of politics or policy. ... “NPR” redirects here. ... The Washingtonians were a temperance group from early in the history of the United States. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... The Washington Times[1] is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States. ... Product selection screen of a premium shop. ...

Furthermore, Tai Shan is the star of his own web cam,^[7], which has been visited by more than 7 million viewers around the world. The panda cub is featured in an Animal Planet documentary titled A Panda Is Born, which follows the National Zoo's giant panda breeding efforts and Tai Shan's birth. A few months after Tai Shan's first birthday, Animal Planet premiered a documentary titled Baby Panda's First Year, which followed him during his first 12 months at the National Zoo. Animal Planet, launched in 1996, is a cable and satellite television network co-owned by Discovery Communications, Inc. ... Animal Planet, launched in 1996, is a cable and satellite television network co-owned by Discovery Communications, Inc. ...

Many visitors have shared their pictures of Tai Shan at websites like flickr. His development and daily adventure are closely followed and adored by fans from all over the world. Flickr is a photo sharing website and web services suite, and an online community platform, which is generally considered an early example of a Web 2. ...

Tai Shan turns one

At the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Tai Shan and thousands of fans celebrated his first birthday on July 9, 2006. As early as 7 a.m., National Zoo visitors started to line up outside the panda exhibit, with the opening three hours away. The elephant exibit at the National Zoo The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known in the United States as the National Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington, DC. Founded in 1889, it consists of two distinct installations: a 163 acre (0. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

One of his gifts was a giant custom-made fruitsicle with the number one on top of another layer of a refreshing treat.^[2] Members of the media fought to catch the perfect pose of Tai Shan and his icy treat. Another one of his attention-grabbing gifts was a mini pool with a volleyball in it sponsored by Fujifilm. Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, or Fujifilm, is a Japanese company known for its photographic film and cameras. ...

Extended Stay

According to a panda loan agreement with China, any cub born would be returned to China sometime after its second birthday. However, due to Tai Shan's popularity, in April 2007 Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong presented Tai Shan a "passport" with an extended stay period to July 2009, without extra charge.^[8]

References

• Warren, Lynne (July 2006). "Panda, Inc.". National Geographic Magazine: 42-59. 

The Washington Times is a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1982 as a conservative alternative to the Washington Post by members of the controversial Unification Church. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washingtonians were a temperance group from early in the history of the United States. ... is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Baltimore Sun is the major newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland, with a daily press run of about 430,000 copies, and a Sunday run of 540,000 copies. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. ...

External links

• Smithsonian's National Zoo
• Panda Fix
• Unrequited Narcissism--originators of the "Butterstick" name
• Bandit's Blog
• Obey Butterstick
• Tai Shan Panda Fans
• Wonkette Butterstick Archive
• Amnesty for Tai Shan/Born in the USA!