Birthday bash for panda cub ‘Bao Bao’

 Panda cub Bao Bao is seen in its habitat on her first birthday at the National Zoo in Washington DC, yesterday.

A rambunctious panda bear cub celebrated a rare first birthday with a special cake and traditional Chinese gifts at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington yesterday, zoo officials said.

Bao Bao, a 44-lb female, is the second panda in the zoo’s history to live a full year, as the endangered species produce tiny and delicate offspring that are often unable to survive infancy, zoo spokeswoman Devon Murphy said.

“Today, we are celebrating one of our biggest conservation successes,” Dennis Kelly, director of the National Zoo, said in a statement. “It’s been amazing for us, our members and all of Washington, DC, to watch Bao Bao thrive and grow.”

For her birthday, Bao Bao received several items, including pictures of peaches and bamboo.