Breaking Up

Washington Says Goodbye to Panda

Zoo's most famous resident bound for China.

Breaking up is hard to do, and Washington is relearning that lesson as the city says farewell to Tai Shan, the panda who is bound for China Thursday. Born four years ago, the bamboo-eater is the only panda to survive infancy in Washington's zoo. He'll be dragged out of his home by a tractor-trailer and then put on board a FedEx airplane Thursday morning. Giant pandas are endangered, and this one is being taken to the mountainous interior of China to take part in a breeding program. "Tai has brought so much good karma," said one fan. "There's a lot of things in life that are precious that you cannot see or you cannot speak of, but it is there in front of you." Final visits were tear-filled, The Washington Post reports. Said one visitor, "A piece of me is being ripped away. Tai is one of a kind. There's never going to be another bear like him."