Four and a half years ago, the National Zoo unveiled its new addition to great fanfare.

Tai Shan achieved a certain celebrity status here in the U.S. capital as visitors flocked to the zoo to see him and his parents, 10-year-old mother Mei Xiang and 11-year-old father Tian Tian, who were born in China.

Senior curator Brandie Smith says people now associate the National Zoo with giant pandas.

"In 1972, our first pandas arrived as a result of President Nixon and the relationship he built with China. Now our pandas here have been with us for ten years. A lot of people come to the National Zoo, and the first animal they want to see is our giant pandas."

But China owns all 14 giant pandas living in the United States. It loans the animals to zoos in the U.S. and other countries to raise awareness of the endangered animals, and to help scientists study them. As part of the agreement, any panda cub born in the U.S. must one day be returned to China. Smith says the program is very successful.

"I think pandas are an amazing, amazing ambassador for China - people love them, people come to see them. We've had fan clubs spring up around our pandas here because people are so fascinated with them, they want to learn about them, they want to save them."

Conservationists say there are only about 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild. China has established over 50 panda reserves to protect the population. And so Tai will be sent to one of the large breeding programs in Sichuan province, where he'll be paired with a mate.

Judy Young is one of the many local residents who has watched Tai grow up.

"He's just a special little panda that we all enjoy being around, and get a lot of joy from his presence."

Young says she'll still come to the zoo after Tai's departure. "But there will be a big hole, something will be missing."

The zoo has been preparing for Tai's departure, helping him get used to the crate that will be used to transport him. And scientists have artificially inseminated Tai's mother, Mei Xiang, in the hopes that she'll soon produce another panda cub for the National Zoo.