Washington’s baby panda snoozes through his debut

Bei Bei and his mother Mei Xiang make their first joint media appearance at the National Zoo in Wash …

In this photo taken December 14, 2015, Bei Bei, the National Zoo’s newest panda and offspring of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, falls asleep while being presented for members of the media at the National Zoo in Washington. Just like a newborn human, he tires easily.

Also unlike Bao Bao, who was more independent, Rodriguez guesses Bei Bei will be a little more of a “momma’s boy, a little closer to mom, which is great”.

On Wednesday, Bei Bei, a four-month-old giant panda cub, made his debut at the Smithsonian National Zoo, weighing in at 17 and a half pounds and looking like one million bucks, even despite his fraught upbringing.

“This is a really critically endangered species, so [while holding the cub] at that moment in time I’m like ‘please do not drop this really important species, very precious species, ‘” Rodriguez said.

He and his two-year-old sister Bao Bao belong to China, and will go there when they turn four years old to join the breeding programme there.

Bei Bei will make his public debut January 16.

The cub, whose twin brother did not survive, was just 4oz (113g) at birth.

Other zoos have successfully bred pandas in captivity, but Bei Bei’s father proved a little clumsy.

Throughout his almost 30-minute appearance on Monday, keepers and veterinarians stroked Bei Bei’s thick, bristly fur, and he protested only when they tried to open his mouth to count his teeth. It’s not just because he’s cute.

“Right now he is entirely dependent on her”, says Dr Brandie Smith, head of the zoo’s animal care.