WASHINGTON — Thousands of people come to the Smithsonian's National Zoo every day hoping to catch a glimpse of the 8-month-old giant panda Bao Bao.
Now the zoo is offering an up-close-and-personal visit with the fuzzy cub -- but it'll cost you.
For $6,000, zoo-goers can take a behind-the-scenes tour to meet Bao Bao and her mother, Mei Xiang, as a part of the zoo's VIP package for their annual fundraiser, ZooFari.
"The big difference between what the general public sees and what the tour sees is how close you're going to get," says animal keeper Marty Dearie. "You're going to be two to three feet away from her. There is going to be no barrier between you and her."
The visitors get to go back into the staff-only area, get a view of the pandas' indoor habitat and spend a few minutes hanging out with Bao Bao. Although visitors are not permitted to touch Bao Bao, there is no barrier and the cub is only a few feet away, probably snacking on bamboo.
Meanwhile, Mei Xiang is seperated into the panda's outside enclosure for safety reasons. Once pandas reach a certain size, it's no longer safe for humans to have direct contact with them, Dearie says.
It's pricey, but people are paying. Lesli Creedon, who oversees all fundraising initiatives for the zoo, says four VIP packages have already been sold.
"It's a really once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to get to do something like this," says Kelly Burka, 27, of Herndon, Va., who went on the VIP tour with her grandparents. "How can you say no?"
Those unwilling to shell out $6,000 will just have wait for Bao Bao to wrap up her nap and come outside so they can ogle her from afar.
