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Photo: Panda Celebrates 22 Years With A Bamboo-And-Yam Birthday Cake
Bai Yun hams it up with her icy birthday "cake" (Facebook)
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Panda matriach six Bai Yun celebrated her 22nd birthday at the San Diego Zoo yesterday with an icy treat that took a month to prepare. Some of her little ones joined in on the the treat.
The "cake" was made of a pandas' favorite things: ice, bamboo, fruit and pureed yam for the icing, Fox 5 says.
Bai Yun, whose name means "white cloud," has been living at the San Diego Zoo since she was five years old thanks to an agreement with the Chinese government, according to NBC Los Angeles. During that time, she has given birth to six cubs: Hue Mei, Mei Sheng, Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, Yun Zi and most recently Xiao Liwu. With Xiao Liwu, she set a record for giving birth to the most cubs outside of Chinese breeding facilities. (The New Yorker has noted that San Diego's pandas areso much better at sex than DC's.)
Zookeepers says Bai Yun is a curious, mischievous panda who dotes on her children. She also enjoys climbing things and goes crazy for anything scented with cloves, pine or men’s cologne. (And now you know what a panda's OKCupid profile would sound like.)
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Bonus: Here's a recent Instagram video showing the adorable San Diego pandas enjoying a snow day at the end of last month:
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