Tai Shan, right, and his mother Mei Xiang, take a close look at a frozen treat that was made for him on his first birthday, Sunday, July 9, 2006, in the outdoor panda exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington.
Credit: AP Photo
Crowds gather at the National Zoo's outdoor panda exhibit to take a look at Tai Shan on his first birthday on Sunday, July 9, 2006, in Washington. More than 1.2 million have visited the panda exhibit since the cub first went on display last December.
Credit: AP Photo
Tai Shan, right, tests the waters in a small pool as his mother Mei Xiang watches in the National Zoo's outdoor panda exhibit on his first birthday on Sunday, July 9, 2006, in Washington.
Credit: AP Photo
Allison Smith, 8, of Gaithersburg, Md., looks at a birthday cake for panda Tai Shan during a news conference on the panda's first birthday on Sunday, July 9, 2006, at the National Zoo in Washington. Smith's Brownie Troop #3907 took part in the panda's birthday celebration by singing "Happy Birthday."
Credit: AP Photo
Tai Shan spent most his birthday going through his regular routine of climbing trees and lounging around the exhibit.
Credit: AP/Smithsonian, Ann Batdorf
Craig Salvas, of Washington, videotapes panda Tai Shan on his first birthday on Sunday, July 9, 2006, in the outdoor panda exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington.
Credit: AP Photo
Tai Shan, the National Zoo's giant panda cub, plays in a tree at his home at the zoo Friday, June 9, 2006.
Credit: AP/Smithsonian, Ann Batdorf
Giant panda cub, Tai Shan, made his debut to the press November 29, 2005 at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. Tai Shan is the sixth panda cub born at the National Zoo and his mother, 7-year-old Mei Xiang, conceived the cub by artificial insemination.
Credit: GETTY
Tai Shan does have competition for the title of America's favorite panda cub. Su Lin, seen here on her 100-day birthday on Nov. 10, 2005, resides at the San Diego Zoo. "Su Lin" means "a little bit of something very cute" in Chinese.
