美国国家动物园4岁的熊猫将启程前往中国

美国国家动物园4岁的熊猫将启程前往中国

Washington’s National Zoo will soon have an empty-nester exhibit on display when Bei Bei, the 4-year-old male offspring of the zoo’s giant panda couple, sets out for China next month to help breed more of his species in his parents’ homeland.

华盛顿国家动物园下个月将举办一次“空巢展”，届时动物园一对大熊猫夫妇的4岁雄性后代“贝贝”将启程前往中国，帮助他父母的祖国繁育更多的熊猫品种。

“Bei Bei is part of our family,” Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, said in a statement. “We’re sad he’s leaving, but excited for the contributions he will make to the global giant panda population.”

史密森国家动物园馆长史蒂夫·蒙福特在一份声明中说：“贝贝是我们的一员。他的离开让我们很难过，但他将为全球大熊猫做出的贡献让我们很兴奋。”

The bear and his parents are a favorite among visitors, said a zoo spokeswoman. Fans have watched Bei Bei grow from a small cub to a 240-pound (109 kg) bear over the years.

动物园发言人说，这只熊和它的父母是游客们的最爱。多年来，粉丝们一直看着贝贝从一只小崽成长为一头240磅(109公斤)的大熊猫。

The zoo has collaborated with Chinese scientists on a breeding program since it received its first pandas in 1972 following President Richard Nixon’s visit to China. As part of the program, pandas return to China at 4 years old so that they can breed when they reach sexual maturity at 5 years old.

自1972年理查德·尼克松总统访华后，该动物园就开始与中国科学家合作，开展大熊猫繁育项目。作为该计划的一部分，大熊猫在4岁时返回中国，以便在5岁性成熟时进行繁殖。

Bei Bei is not the first in his family to travel abroad. His parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, arrived from the China in 2000 and his older siblings Tai Shan and Bao Bao both packed their bags for China when they came of age.

贝贝并不是家里第一个出国旅游的人。他的父母美香和添添在2000年从中国来到美国，他的哥哥泰山和哥哥宝宝在成年后都收拾好了行李准备去中国。