CHENGDU, China — Tai Shan had been in China only a few hours Friday when he scored what some athletes and stars strive for their entire lives: a corporate sponsorship.
Sichuan Auto Industry Group agreed to pay a million yuan, or about $150,000, to “adopt” Tai Shan for life.
The beloved giant panda, who left the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, will still join China’s breeding program and stay under the care of the scientists at the government-run Bifengxia Panda Base. But the company will be responsible for paying for his food, medical care and other daily expenses.
It’s unclear what Sichuan Auto gets out of it.
Tai Shan, along with his travel companion, Mei Lan, who came from the Atlanta Zoo, landed in Chengdu at 4:26 p.m. Friday with the same nonchalance he left his old home in Washington.
During the 15 1/2-hour flight, he ate his way through 40 pounds of bamboo, 3 pounds of pears and 2 pounds of apples as the plane made its way through Canada and the North Atlantic.
