The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington invited the public to celebrate giant panda Qing Bao's fourth birthday on Friday. Advertisement

It's her first birthday at the park.

"It's been really fun to see her personality emerge,” said Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas, according to a zoo press release. "She was very reserved and cautious when she arrived, but now she is much more confident! She's also become more interested in interacting with keepers. She waits for both keepers to say goodnight to her before she will go inside for the evening."

Qing Bao is one of two giant pandas who arrived at the National Zoo last October on a "FedEx Panda Express" flight. In 2023, three pandas were sent back to China after a previous agreement expired amid tense relations with th

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