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Bao Bao prepares to leave U.S. for China

Washington D.C. is getting ready to say goodbye to adorable panda Bao Bao.

Bao Bao was born in August 2013 and is part of the National Zoo's partnership with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

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“There is a loan agreement,” National Zoo animal keeper Marty Dearie told FOX DC. “Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, her parents, are here on loan, and that loan agreement stipulates that any cub we have is required to go to China. They can stay here up until they are four years old. She is three and a half years old. It is right in the perfect time for her to head back.”

It's a long flight to China for Bao Bao - 16 hours total. Since she loves bamboo, caretakers are arranging to take 50 pounds of it, along with sweet potatoes and apples.

The zoo has planned a week of celebratory events to say goodbye to Bao Bao.