Zoo Donors Get Sneak Peek At Panda
In Washington, it's not who you know or who you are so much as how much money you gave to the right causes.
At least, if you want to get a glimpse of the National Zoo's panda cub Tai Shan (pronounced "ty shawn").
The zoo has distributed some 600 timed entry tickets to members of the its booster organization, Friends of the National Zoo, and ticket holders were starting to view the cub on Monday.
The zoo last month began letting small groups of employees, donors and VIPs view the cub for brief periods.
Tai Shan is expected to make his official public debut in early December.
Officials hope that this limited viewing will help the cub and his mother get used to having crowds parade through their house. The Panda House has been closed since Tai Shan was born July 9.
Mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian are on loan from China. The National Zoo will rear Tai Shan until he is 2, when he'll be sent to China.