Saturday 4-22-2017 1:03 p.m. Eastern Time Greetings Supporters! Today is Earth Day & it is also the day that Bei Bei turns 20 months old. And as of today, we have 2,736 people from all over the world who have signed this petition. In the past few weeks, a lot has happened. Bei Bei had a frightening health scare on April 3rd. He also had a hard fall from a high tree on April 11th. The petition has also been featured in various news outlets, both in print & on the web. We have been featured on China Daily here http://bit.ly/2oqIB8f and on PR News here http://bit.ly/2prI6qS and also in The Washington Post here wapo.st/2pafUJW And on Friday 4-14-2017 the Post article was actually released in print in their free daily newspaper called Express. The Toronto Zoo also posted on their Facebook page that they plan to let their panda cubs wean naturally from the panda mother. Whether or not The Toronto Zoo saw our petition and/or was influenced by it, we do not know. But either way, it shows that a zoo can let pandas wean naturally & not forcibly remove them from the mother panda. Unfortunately, The National Zoo has stated that they will NOT be reuniting Bei Bei with his mother Mei Xiang. This is a sad travesty for poor Bei Bei, who is still (yes, after almost 2 months) showing signs of depression, sadness, boredom, lethargy & more. So many people have commented that Bei Bei is not the happy-go-lucky, energetic, personable, loving panda cub that he once was, and it's true. His life has completely changed since he was taken away from his mother & he is being treated as an afterthought. As for his mother, Mei Xiang, she will likely be artificially inseminated any day now. The sad cycle of the production of as many cubs as possible is continuing, regardless of the welfare & well-being of the individual animals. Bei Bei was the sweetest little boy, with the most loving disposition. He loved his Mummy so much & they were akin to soulmates. He brought out the cubbie in her, and I truly believe that Bei Bei was her favorite cubbie. The close bond they had was so magical. He felt so safe with Mummy & he was so comforted by her. He was truly a Mummy's boy! It is so cruel what the zoo did to them, to take them away from one other. On Earth Day, my wish is for all animals & birds to thrive & subsist without interference from humans. Restoration & protection of habitat is of utmost importance. And like those who came before us who fought to end the Ringling Brothers circus & the Sea World abuse of marine life, we will keep demanding a greater respect for animals. Sincerely, J.J. Medusa Washington, D.C., U.S.A. reunitepandas@hotmail.com https://twitter.com/jjmedusa