Mei Xiang the giant panda celebrated her 25th birthday by eating a frozen treat in front of visitors to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC.
The National Zoo celebrated the matriarchal panda's special day by giving her a "fruitsicle cake" featuring a frozen number 25.
"The tasty treat is made of frozen-diluted apple juice, apples and mashed sweet potatoes + carrots," the National Zoo shared on Twitter.
Numerous visitors watched the elderly zoo resident chow down on her frozen treat, singing happy birthday to her as she came into view.
Panda enthusiast Sonal Parohit told Reuters that Mei Xiang's birthday is an annual event she makes time for, her 25th being no exception.
"I've never missed her birthday before. So I knew what to expect, but it's always a great opportunity to come together, see your friends again, and be able to celebrate Mei Xiang's birthday," she said.
Zoo enthusiast and regular visitor Craig Salvas told Reuters that the popular panda turned out for the flock of visitors "as she usually does".
"She's one of the favourite animals here of people who are regulars to the zoo... she's a beautiful animal to watch, and she's a crowd-pleaser," he said.
"She likes to sit and eat her food and do it in a place where you can see her very clearly and very visibly, so it's nice to watch her, and she's a very pretty animal as well."
Giant pandas have a lifespan of 15-20 years in the wild, and 30 years in human care, according to the zoo's website.
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