美國國家動物園4歲的熊貓將啟程前往中國

美國國家動物園4歲的熊貓將啟程前往中國

Washington’s National Zoo will soon have an empty-nester exhibit on display when Bei Bei, the 4-year-old male offspring of the zoo’s giant panda couple, sets out for China next month to help breed more of his species in his parents’ homeland.

華盛頓國家動物園下個月將舉辦一次“空巢展”，屆時動物園一對大熊貓夫婦的4歲雄性后代“貝貝”將啟程前往中國，幫助他父母的祖國繁育更多的熊貓品種。

“Bei Bei is part of our family,” Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, said in a statement. “We’re sad he’s leaving, but excited for the contributions he will make to the global giant panda population.”

史密森國家動物園館長史蒂夫·蒙福特在一份聲明中說：“貝貝是我們的一員。他的離開讓我們很難過，但他將為全球大熊貓做出的貢獻讓我們很興奮。”

The bear and his parents are a favorite among visitors, said a zoo spokeswoman. Fans have watched Bei Bei grow from a small cub to a 240-pound (109 kg) bear over the years.

動物園發(fā)言人說，這只熊和它的父母是游客們的最愛。多年來，粉絲們一直看著貝貝從一只小崽成長為一頭240磅(109公斤)的大熊貓。

The zoo has collaborated with Chinese scientists on a breeding program since it received its first pandas in 1972 following President Richard Nixon’s visit to China. As part of the program, pandas return to China at 4 years old so that they can breed when they reach sexual maturity at 5 years old.

自1972年理查德·尼克松總統(tǒng)訪華后，該動物園就開始與中國科學(xué)家合作，開展大熊貓繁育項目。作為該計劃的一部分，大熊貓在4歲時返回中國，以便在5歲性成熟時進行繁殖。

Bei Bei is not the first in his family to travel abroad. His parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, arrived from the China in 2000 and his older siblings Tai Shan and Bao Bao both packed their bags for China when they came of age.

貝貝并不是家里第一個出國旅游的人。他的父母美香和添添在2000年從中國來到美國，他的哥哥泰山和哥哥寶寶在成年后都收拾好了行李準(zhǔn)備去中國。