Panda cub Tai Shan turns 1

WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- Officials at the National Zoo in Washington planned a four-hour birthday celebration Sunday for 1-year-old panda cub Tai Shan.

Letters and e-mails arrive at the zoo daily from around the world, describing how the panda has brightened lives, The Washington Post said. The back room of the Panda House showcases an impressive inventory of gifts and mail for the cub and keepers -- everything from cards and photos to wedding invitations and elaborately knitted mufflers with the cub's name.

The milestone also marks a halfway point: An agreement with China calls for sending the cub there when he turns 2 for future breeding. There is hope within zoo circles of keeping Tai Shan in Washington a bit longer, because his services as a breeding partner probably won't be needed until he is 5 or 6, the Post said.

The zoo's new giant panda exhibit opens in September. It will double the outdoor space for a panda family, with plenty of room for Tai Shan -- and, hopefully, a sibling.