Media Attention
Tai Shan made his public debut on December 8, 2005, after the National Zoo issued 13,000 free timed entry tickets. These tickets were gone within 2 hours, and some were quickly offered for sale on eBay and craigslist, with an asking price as high as $500 apiece.
The cub became widely popular; he was frequently mentioned on D.C.-oriented websites, such as DCist and Wonkette, as well as traditional media outlets, including National Public Radio, The Washingtonian, The Washington Post, and The Washington Times. Fans set up sites selling cub-related merchandise, including one partnered with cafepress.com that donated approximately $1,900 in profits to the National Zoo.
The panda cub was featured in an Animal Planet documentary titled A Panda Is Born, which follows the National Zoo's giant panda breeding efforts and Tai Shan's birth. A few months after Tai Shan's first birthday, Animal Planet premiered a documentary titled Baby Panda's First Year, which followed him during his first 12 months at the National Zoo.
For the record, Tai Shan was not the baby cub that sneezed in the famous YouTube viral baby panda sneezing video. The mother panda in that video was Mao Mao, the baby was not Tai Shan. It was filmed in China by an Australian film crew. Mao Mao, the mother in that video, was killed in the earthquake that hit the breeding center in Wolong. The cub in the video was saved.
Read more about this topic: Tai Shan (giant Panda)
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