Bye Bye, Bao Bao: Beloved Panda Cub Travels Back to China
He was even given a farewell cake.
Bao Bao the panda has left the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C., and heading back to China.
Read: 3 Tiger Cubs Being Raised by Zoo Staff After They Were Rejected by Mother
The panda, who was born in 2013 inside the zoo, has delighted Americans with her playful antics.
Thousands showed up to bid her farewell in the last few days, and Bao Bao was even gifted a special goodbye cake made out of ice to nosh on.
"We’ve watched Bao Bao grow up during the past three years, and she has charmed people all over the world with her independent and playful personality," Dennis Kelly, the director of the Zoo, said in a statement posted to the National Zoo website. "We’re so proud of our team who have prepared Bao Bao for the next chapter of her life as she enters the breeding program in China. This is another milestone in our 45-year history of working to study, care for and help save the giant panda and its native habitat.”
The flight, dubbed the “FedEx Panda Express,” left Dulles International Airport in Virginia for China on Tuesday morning.
For the 16-hour flight, Bao Bao was given 55 pounds of bamboo, two pounds of apples, two bags of leafeater biscuits, cooked sweet potatoes and water.
Read: A Tail of Love: Sumatran Tiger Gets a Girlfriend at Los Angeles Zoo
The zoo’s Instagram page has been loaded with images of Bao Bao through the years.
They also posted a goodbye video and thank you to those who came to see her during her final days in Washington.
Watch: 'Kung Fu Panda' Goes Head-to-Head With Snowman in Epic Battle
Trending on Inside Edition

Oregon Woman Reports Having Acid Thrown at Her 3 Times Since March: Police
Crime
4 Federally Charged in San Antonio Migrant Smuggling Case as Death Toll Rises to 53
Crime
Amazon and Some Drug Stores Ration Emergency Contraceptives, Including Plan B, After Seeing Increased Demand
Health
How to Stay Safe This July 4th Amid Steep Rise in Injuries Caused by Fireworks
Investigative
83-Year-Old Believed to Be Oldest Woman to Complete a 'Tough Mudder' Race
Inspirational