Some prefer panda as symbol of D.C.

WASHINGTON — The very idea is enough to make a panda lover's heart skip a beat. Washington, D.C., is searching for a suitable animal to become its official symbol, and it appears the giant panda is rapidly making its cuddly way toward the top of the list.

"The panda ought to be a strong possibility for the city's representative animal," said Linda Cropp, chairwoman of the City Council of the District of Columbia. "The official animal chosen really should be what captures the imagination of the children and makes them feel good, and the panda does that."

The fact that the bamboo-loving, tree-dwelling creature is not native to the U.S. has not gone unnoticed. But growing numbers of supporters point to the three pandas at the city's National Zoo, and all three are wildly popular with Washingtonians.

While the adult pandas, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, were both born in China, they have been living at the zoo for more than six years. Their 10-month-old cub, Tai Shan, was born at the zoo, technically making him an American citizen.

The chubby couple had been attracting tens of thousands of zoogoers since their arrival in Washington in 2000. But the birth of Tai Shan last June sent the zoo's attendance records soaring. Today, the panda is on par with the White House and the Capitol Building as one of Washington's "must-see" destinations for visitors.

But Councilwoman Sharon Ambrose thinks the official animal should be the bald eagle. "We should have an animal that is native," she says. "We should have an animal that is an American."

The district's mayor, Anthony Williams, has said he is open to all suggestions regarding a symbol.

The Chinese government, which long has used the panda as its national symbol, has kept quiet on the issue, perhaps not wanting to add to the pandemonium.