Tian Tian (male giant panda)

Giant pandas are thought to be solitary creatures, except for mating season and mothers with young cubs.

Tian and Mei are trained to participate in a full medical examination, including a blood draw, without anesthesia.

The giant pandas enter a special squeeze cage with small openings and follow keeper instructions, getting a food reward for participating.

While he and Mei Xiang have been given multiple opportunities to mate naturally—and both were interested in doing so—they have never achieved the correct positioning.

On August 21, 2020, another male cub named Xiao Qi Ji was born to Mei Xiang.

Tian Tian at the Smithsonian National Zoo in March 2004.
Tian Tian at the Smithsonian National Zoo in February 2008.
Tian Tian at the Smithsonian National Zoo in November 2017.
Tian Tian at the Smithsonian National Zoo in August 2021.