Olympic Pandas

In May of 2008, eight panda bears were flown to Beijing after the Sichuan earthquake damaged their habitat at the Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve in China. Internet users nominated the bears to be official Olympic pandas in July 2008. The pandas are expected to stay at the Beijing Zoo through the end of 2008, when reconstruction of their habitat is expected to be completed.China Daily: 'Olympic Pandas' to Get Longer Stay in Capital

The pandas, formerly housed at the Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, were rescued after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit China's Sichuan Province. Five reserve employees as well as one panda were among the nearly 70,000 killed by the earthquake. The eight pandas were placed in a new glass enclosure at the Beijing Zoo, which was named the Olympic Pandas House.China Daily: 'Olympic Pandas' to Get Longer Stay in Capital (August 22, 2008)

Their exhibit at the Beijing Zoo opened to visitors on June 5, 2008.China Daily: Pandas in the House (August 10, 2008) In late July, they were selected as official pandas of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.China Daily: 'Olympic Pandas' to Get Longer Stay in Capital (August 22, 2008) Over one million people came to visit the pandas during the Olympic Games.Xinhua: "Olympic" Pandas Attract 1 Mln Visitors (July 30, 2008) On August 8, 2008, the day of the opening ceremony, one of the rescued bears gave birth to a cub, named Ao Yun, meaning Olympic Games in Mandarin.WCTV.tv (Tallahassee, FL): Olympic Panda (August 19, 2008)