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Panda Update | Adorable video from National Zoo shows how fast the baby giant panda is growing up

A video from the Smithsonian National Zoo shows the cub bonding with his mother and taking on new adventures.

WASHINGTON — The baby giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo has gotten more acclimated to his surroundings. 

Xiao Qi Ji started venturing outdoors inside the habitat for the first time last week, just a few days before turning 6 months old Sunday. Now, he is climbing trees and playing more with his mother as he matures. 

The video from the National Zoo also shows the panda cub climb trees and enjoy treats. You even get to see an exciting but scary moment, when the cub drops from the tree to the ground in front of his mother, unharmed, as she looks to be keeping a close eye on him. 

The National Zoo and the China Wildlife and Conservation Association have signed a new three-year extension to keep three giant pandas in D.C. through 2023. The new agreement, which expires on Dec. 7, 2023, stipulates that the National Zoo's three giant pandas, including cub Xiao Qi Ji and his parents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, will be sent to China when the deal ends.

With the recent winter weather, we've seen the National Zoo post video of the giant pandas enjoying the snow and playing in it. 

Giant pandas are huge fans of the snow. Because pandas are adapted to the high-altitude forests in the mountainous central regions of China, snow is their happy place, says the Smithsonian's website.

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