( CNN ) -- Some people drove hours to see a cute little 18-pound ball of fur . Saturday was debut day for little Bao Bao the panda at the National Zoo in Washington . At this stage of her life , 5-month-old Bao Bao 's hobbies are mainly eating bamboo and lounging . She is cautious like her mother and pretty laid back , CNN affiliate WJLA reported , citing a zoo official . Bao Bao ( pronounced bow-BOW ) inspired lengthy lines , but visitors like Becky Moyer and her family said the three-hour drive worth it . `` We frequent Philly 's zoo . This is something you just ca n't see there , '' she told WJLA . A note on the zoo 's website says Bao Bao may not always be visible during visiting hours because she and her mother , Mei Xiang , will have access to the privacy of their den , where Bao Bao has spent most of her time until now . On Saturday , a zoo employee carried the cub out to meet the public and press . Bao Bao means `` precious '' or `` treasure '' in Mandarin . Cute alert as Taiwan 's first giant panda cub goes on show . Thanks to science , there are more baby pandas .
Bao Bao the panda cub made her debut to the public on Saturday . She now weighs 18 pounds . The zoo said it was not sure how long she would stay at the zoo.