Pandas revel in deep snowfall
Giant panda Qing Bao plays in the snow at the National Zoo this week after a major winter storm hit D.C.
Image: Kaitlyn Adkins/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Dana Hedgpeth
Who doesn’t love a snow day?
The most popular animals at the National Zoo in D.C. - the giant pandas - certainly did. A video from the zoo’s panda cam showcased the fluffy black and white balls of fur - Qing Bao and Bao Li - tumbling in the snow.
The zoo has been closed to the public since Sunday due to inclement weather, but that didn’t stop its animals from enjoying the fresh powder.
Qing Bao in the snow.
Image: Kaitlyn Adkins/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
The pandas climbed, tumbled and played with their toys in the snow. Zookeepers said Qing Bao, in particular, seemed to enjoy frolicking in the snow. Meanwhile, she had entertainment as “Bao Li showed off his somersaulting skills for her” in front of their “howdy” gate, a mesh-like fence that separates their enclosures.
They weren’t the only ones having fun.
Zoo staffers said others, including the kunekune pigs (no, that’s not a typo - that’s their species and they’re a small breed that’s found in Asia and South America), a sea lion and red wolf played, too.
“Snow kept visitors away, but many animals explored the winter weather,” zookeepers said on social media. Keepers came in to feed and care for the animals.
And while the pandas and their friends didn’t drink a hot cup of cocoa when they came inside, zookeepers said they all “had access to their indoor areas to stay warm.”
Celia, a female California sea lion, enjoys a snow day at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Image: Ashley Graham/Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute