--- description: Bei Bei, the National Zoo's newest youngster, climbed a tree for the first time this week at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. title: Panda Cub Bei Bei Climbs Tree at National Zoo: Video image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd326c5415996ad3f/69887cb6f887dcf7d1e94859/gettyimages-501561544.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 # Watch a Panda Help Her Cub Down a Tree  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Feb 9, 2016 3:23 PM CUT  Bei Bei, a Giant Panda cub born on August 22, 2015, makes his first media appearance at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, December 16, 2015\. Bei Bei will make his first public appearance on January 16, when the Giant Panda house reopens to the public. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) Bei Bei, a Giant Panda cub born on August 22, 2015, makes his first media appearance at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, December 16, 2015\. Bei Bei will make his first public appearance on January 16, when the Giant Panda house reopens to the public. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Feb 9, 2016 3:23 PM CUT _Panda_monium over the National Zoo’s newest baby panda has reached new heights. After “several attempts,” the cub Bei Bei managed to climb a tree for the first time. His mother, Mei Xiang, helps him down in a video released by the Smithsonian on Monday. Bei Bei — whose name means “precious treasure” — just made his public debut on January 16, sixth months ago after he was born to parents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang (who also gave birth to Bei Bei’s twin, who died shortly afterwards). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4213595/bei-bei-panda-climbs-tree/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4213595/bei-bei-panda-climbs-tree/"},"headline":"Watch a Panda Help Her Cub Down a Tree","datePublished":"2016-02-09T15:23:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:29:49.792Z","description":"Bei Bei, the National Zoo's newest youngster, climbed a tree for the first time this week at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.","url":"https://time.com/4213595/bei-bei-panda-climbs-tree/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd326c5415996ad3f/69887cb6f887dcf7d1e94859/gettyimages-501561544.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd326c5415996ad3f/69887cb6f887dcf7d1e94859/gettyimages-501561544.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-ANIMALS-MEDIA-PANDA-ZOO","caption":"US-ANIMALS-MEDIA-PANDA-ZOO","creditText":"SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4213595/bei-bei-panda-climbs-tree/","name":"Watch a Panda Help Her Cub Down a Tree"}}]}] ```