Saturday . Despite the snow falling on the panda exhibit , there were plenty of warm and fuzzy feelings about Tai Shan . `` He 's so cute . I 'll miss him , '' said Claire Ryland , 7 . It 's often said that a visit to Washington is not complete without a stop at the zoo to see Tai Shan . Over the years , some have even gone as far to say that Tai Shan was Washington 's No. 1 resident -- even getting top billing over the president . Tai Shan will leave for China on Thursday via the `` FedEx Panda Express . '' He 'll be joined by Mei Lan - a 3-year-old panda born at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia . Eventually , they will take part in a breeding program aimed at increasing the panda population . Giant pandas are currently on the endangered list . The National Zoo estimates that about 1,600 giant pandas are currently in the wild . Bauer says that 's all the more reason to say goodbye to Tai Shan . `` It 's very important to get Tai Shan into the breeding population to help conserve
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It feels like it went by in the blink of an eye . Tai Shan , the giant panda cub so many people have come to know and love , is about to board a flight to China . `` It 's very bittersweet . We love him . We love having him here , '' said Erika Bauer , curator at the National Zoo in Washington . Tai Shan was born in the nation 's capital , so you can confidently call him a Washingtonian . But he is to be sent to China , under an agreement between the two nations , to help replenish the endangered species ' numbers in the wild . At 4 1/2 years old , Tai Shan is more of a panda adolescent than a cub , but to Tai Shan fans , he will always be their baby . `` We watched him as he grew up and it 's kind of sad to see him go , '' said Kathleen Ryland of Highland , Maryland . Ryland brought her two children to say their goodbyes to Tai Shan at a farewell party at the National Zoo