Tag Archives: national zoo

Zoo Animals in the Snow

At the national zoo the animals are enjoying the snow!

Where the human lives the snow has taken over for the time being, and staying home is the best remedy for the cold and dangerous roads. Take a look at these animals having more fun than my human is!

Pandas Mei Xiang and 16 month old cub Bao Bao:
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(Devin Murphy/Smithsonian National Zoo)
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(Devin Murphy/Smithsonian National Zoo)

Bao Bao enjoying the trees:
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(Devin Murphy/Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

African Lions
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(Amy Enchelmeyer/Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

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(Amy Enchelmeyer/Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

I would not have expected Afrcan Lions to appreciate snow! But I suppose they would get used to it living at the National Zoo where it is a fact of life in the winter.

The regal beauty of Sumatran Tiger Sukacita enjoying a walk in the snow:
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(Amy Enchelmeyer/Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

Rona the Grey Seal with a face full of snow:
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(Chelsea Grubb/Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

Hope you are all enjoying sunshine, staying warm, or are having this much winter fun!

-Fizz

See more photos at CBS Washington DC.

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The Panda Cub is a Girl!

The National Zoo’s recent panda cub born in August has been confirmed female by a DNA test.

Mei Xiang is a good panda mother who still spends a lot of time in her den. As the cub gets a bit older she will start to leave more. So zoo staff are still mostly observing the cub, and will do more when they can.

Here are some great moments from the panda cam all put together:

Panda cub:
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(spiderxcat)

You can see more screen captures of the cub from the panda cam on flicker.

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Red Panda Missing at National Zoo

Do you live anywhere near the Smithsonian National Zoo, or are visiting today? Could you help the zoo by keeping  an eye out for their missing red panda?

This morning the zoo could not find its new male Red Panda named Rusty. He is less than a year old and about the size of a raccoon. Here is a picture:

rusty-panda

Zoo keepers went to check on him this morning but Rusty was not in his enclosure. The zoo also has a female red panda, who can be viewing in their enclosure.

He is believed to still be in the zoo hiding, but a search this morning of the zoo before opening to the public did not find the animal.

If you do see Rusty do not approach him – call an official or the zoo at 202-633-4888.

You can also follow the search on Twitter using #findrusty.

Here is the news story: Washington Post

Here is the twitter story.

I hope that Rusty is found safe and sound!

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Earthquake Detection?

Yesterday there was a 5.8 magnatude earthquake on the East Coast which could be felt as far away as Michigan. Today there is an article from NBC news that the animals of the National Zoo seemed to know it was coming. Of course, not all the zoo’s inhabitants reacted before or even during the event but those that did show demonstrate that animals can detect such natural occurrences long before humans can.

The lemur monkies started to howl about 15 minutes before the quake hit. The Orangutan also called out, and the mother Gorilla gathered up her baby and went into a tree just before the ground began to shake. 64 flamingos also gathered together and huddled in a large ground just before the quake and all through it. Once the shaking began the pride of lions gathered together and moved away from standing structures.

And the zoo’s famous pandas? They appeared not to react before, during, or after the event.

While it is not proven that animals can predict such events, it has been demonstrated that they can be affected sooner than humans. It is speculated that animals can hear lower or higher frequency sounds and can feel slighter vibrations than we can and are thus able to protect themselves before such a phenomenon.

See Zoo Animals Go Wild Ahead of Quake

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