VIDEO: National Zoo Celebrates Bao Bao's 1st Birthday

The National Zoo and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China celebrated giant panda cub Bao Bao’s first birthday Saturday with a Zhuazhou (dra-JO) ceremony, according to a news release from the zoo.

“This has been such a fast year,” said Ambassador Cui Tiankai, Dennis Kelly, director of the National Zoo. “I remember feeling like an anxious father-to-be while waiting see if Mei Xiang was pregnant. Today, we are celebrating one of our biggest conservation successes. It’s been amazing for us, our members and all of Washington, D.C., to watch Bao Bao thrive and grow. She is so much more than just a beautiful 44-pound cub. She represents decades of collaboration between American and Chinese scientists.”

Bao Bao’s special birthday cake was made by the Zoo’s nutrition department. The tiers were made of frozen diluted apple juice and were dyed varying shades of pink using beet juice; frozen between the tiers were apple and pear slices, some of the pandas’ favorite foods. The cake was decorated with flower appliques carved from carrots and sweet potatoes. In lieu of icing on the cake, a large number “1” carved from frozen diluted apple juice sat atop it.

Guests enjoyed dandan (dahn-dahn) noodles courtesy of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. The cold noodles are a dish from Sichuan Province. The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, where Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were born and where Bao Bao will live after she goes to China when she turns 4, is located in Sichuan.