Tian Tian |
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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 Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province. Tian Tian and his mate Mei Xiang gave birth to a male cub, Tai Shan, on July 9, 2005.
Tian lives in a separate pen adjacent to that of Mei and Tai, in keeping with the habits of wild pandas. While the two have seen each other through a mesh-opening in the fence and are aware of each other's presence through scent marking, Tian and Tai will likely never be introduced into the same yard, as male Giant Pandas play no part in raising their young in the wild. Tian Tian is quite restless at times, and is known to be impatient if he does not get enough toffee apples. Giant pandas are solitary creatures and rarely come together outside the mating ritual.