Friday 3-10-2017 8:55 p.m. Eastern Time Greetings Supporters! It's hard to believe, but when I wrote to you last (just 2 days ago) we had just crossed the 300 supporter mark. And now? Now we over 1,100 supporters!!! Your love & outpouring of support for these precious pandas has been incredible! Thank YOU for sharing, signing, flooding social media & donating money to promote the petition. I cannot thank you enough! Today I e-mailed the petition to Zoo Director Dennis W. Kelly, Asia Trail & Giant Panda Curator Michael Brown-Palsgrove, and Associate Director Of Communications & Exhibits Pamela Baker-Masson. In this update, the main thing I want to talk about (and to make very clear) is that we support animal welfare over profit. We know that the real reason The National Zoo separated Bei Bei & his mother Mei Xiang is so that they could breed Mei Xiang as soon possible. The day after Bao Bao left the zoo, Bei Bei was moved over into Bao Bao's former enclosure. And merely ONE week after Bao Bao left, Bei Bei & Mei Xiang were forcibly separated even though Bei Bei was still nursing & Mei Xiang showed NO signs of pushing him away or weaning him. I have purposely kept the wording in the petition to a respectful nature because I want to be respectful in our concerns. However, the well-being of Bei Bei & Mei Xiang (both physical & emotional) should come FIRST. The early, forced separation between them was unnecessary & cruel. Please read this comment from supporter Sallie L.: “The National Zoo did not allow Mei Xiang to naturally take care of the separation as they claimed. The zoo ignores the fact that Mei and Bei Bei love each other and enjoy spending time together. Bei was still nursing from Mei and they often sat with their body touching while eating. The zoo rushed and forced the separation. This unnatural separation was carried out just so that Mei can have another cub as quickly as possible. It’s heartbreaking to see the National Zoo causing undue stress on these animals in the name of breeding more baby panda for profit.” We can all clearly see that Bei Bei is not the happy, joyful, playful little boy that he once was. Mei Xiang appears to have lost weight & looks gaunt. Both are depressed. The light has gone out of their eyes & has been replaced by sadness. Both are sleeping a lot. And just today Mei Xiang was seen pacing near the gate that separates her & Bei Bei. Mei Xiang will be 19 years old this year. That is approximately 71 years old in human age. She should be enjoying her life, not being forced to breed like a machine. If she doesn't have another cub, so be it. The world will not end. Bei Bei's name means "precious treasure." It is about time the zoo started treating him like one. Only Mei Xiang can know when it is right to wean Bei Bei. Whoever ordered this separation CANNOT (and should not) make that decision for her. We know what the zoo did was wrong. We are standing up to give a voice to these pandas who have been separated against their will. Supporter Mary puts it very eloquently: “This petition is about sending a message to the zoo and all other zoos who share the same practice and attitudes. It’s about making things right now, if possible, but it’s also about making things right for future panda cubs.” I hope to visit the zoo soon to see how Bei Bei & Mei Xiang are doing. Please keep sharing the petition with your friends & family. And thank you for all that you do to bring attention to the plight of our precious pandas. Sincerely, J.J. Medusa Washington, D.C., U.S.A. reunitepandas@hotmail.com https://twitter.com/jjmedusa