--- description: Hero. title: National Zoo's Giant Panda Cub Napped Through His Media Debut image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bbb33a34e435e60/698875a32dce01b7849e6f83/panda-bei-bei-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The National Zoo's Giant Panda Cub Napped Through His Media Debut by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 16, 2015 7:34 PM CUT  Bei Bei, the National Zoo's newest panda and offspring of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, falls asleep during his first media appearance at the National Zoo in Washington on Dec. 14, 2015. Bei Bei, the National Zoo's newest panda and offspring of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, falls asleep during his first media appearance at the National Zoo in Washington on Dec. 14, 2015.Andrew Harnik—AP by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 16, 2015 7:34 PM CUT Bei Bei, the adorable giant panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo, finally made his media debut on Monday. Unfortunately, he didn’t have tons of energy and pretty much slept through the whole thing as a small group of journalists gathered around him. But that ended up being pretty cute too. The four-month old cub was born in August and now has all four of his canine teeth, wide paws and sharp claws, the Washington _Post_ [reports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/bei-bei-the-zoos-giant-panda-cub-snoozes-during-his-media-debut/2015/12/16/7b03ddac-a286-11e5-9c4e-be37f66848bb%5Fstory.html?bffbnews&utm%5Fterm=4ldqpho#4ldqpho "undefined"). But he’s still got a lot of developing to do. He’s never been outside and has limited eyesight. Also, as we now know, limited energy. Bei Bei will make his first public appearance on Jan. 16, so start planning your trip to D.C. to see him in person. ### What Life Is Like for America’s Most Famous Panda Cub  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Bao Bao, the Giant Panda cub is seen by the media for the first time January 6, 2014 inside his glass enclosure at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, a few days before going on display to the general public. Bao Bao was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo August 2, 2013\. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  Matt McClain—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Bao Bao, the Giant Panda cub is seen by the media for the first time January 6, 2014 inside his glass enclosure at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, a few days before going on display to the general public. Bao Bao was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo August 2, 2013\. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  Matt McClain—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Connor Mallon—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Courtney Janney—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo  Abby Wood—Smithsonian's National Zoo ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4151698/baby-panda-bei-bei-public-nap/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4151698/baby-panda-bei-bei-public-nap/"},"headline":"The National Zoo's Giant Panda Cub Napped Through His Media Debut","datePublished":"2015-12-16T19:34:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:45.547Z","description":"Hero.","url":"https://time.com/4151698/baby-panda-bei-bei-public-nap/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bbb33a34e435e60/698875a32dce01b7849e6f83/panda-bei-bei-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bbb33a34e435e60/698875a32dce01b7849e6f83/panda-bei-bei-cub.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bei Bei, the National Zoo's newest panda and offspring of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, falls asleep while being presented for members of the media at the National Zoo in Washington, Monday, Dec. 14, 2015. 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