© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Say My Name: Baby Giant Panda Is Named ... Bei Bei

NPR | By Eyder Peralta
Published September 25, 2015 at 11:51 AM EDT
Keepers had an opportunity to weigh the 4.5 week-old giant panda cub on Sept. 21.
Smithsonian's National Zoo
Keepers had an opportunity to weigh the 4.5 week-old giant panda cub on Sept. 21.

The baby giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was given a name.

The little guy had some VIP help. The name was chosen by first lady Michelle Obama and China's first lady, Madame Peng Liyuan.

Here's the pool report from the ceremony:

"The panda born on August 22 here to Mei Xiang has a name! It's Bei Bei. It was chosen by FLOTUS and Ms. Peng and they revealed it in English and Chinese by unrolling scrolls tied by ribbons with help of two school kids."

It's pronounced "Bay-Bay."

There's no word, yet, on how Beyoncé feels about all this.

Either way, here are some gratuitous images of the little critter:

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: September 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM EDT
An earlier version of this post said Bei Bei had been named after turning 100 days old as tradition dictates. In fact, the National Zoo broke with tradition, saying that "scientists and keepers at giant panda breeding and research centers in China do not wait 100 days to name cubs born at those facilities."
Tags
NPR Top Stories
Eyder Peralta
Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
See stories by Eyder Peralta

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate

Related Content