It’s A Snow Day for Happy DC Pandas

The National Zoo in Washington shut down this week when five inches of snow blanketed the capital, but a couple of its residents were delighted by the diversion. Qing Bao and Bao Li, the giant pandas who just arrived here, cavorted like schoolchildren in the white stuff.

Fortunately the zoo staff captured the capering on video. “Tumbling in a winter wonderland!” the zoo announced on X. “Flakes stuck to their fur as the bears frolicked and somersaulted.

Since the bears arrived in mid-October, the zoo has been acclimating the pair to their new habitat by degrees. “We want to see the pandas eating, playing, sleeping, and exploring their exhibit,” the zoo’s Asia Trail keeper, Mariel Lally, said at the time. “We want to see parts of their personalities coming out. We want to see them feel safe and confident in their new spaces.”

The 3-year-old bears clearly enjoyed their new spaces in the winter weather. Both pandas were born at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan. This week it’s been a little too warm for snow there, with temperatures at around 40 degrees.

Qing Bao and Bao Li will make their public debut on January 24.Whatever  the weather,the duo is expected to be a big draw for the zoo. It’s not a coincidence that “Bao” in each of their names translates to “treasure.”

In the meantime, you can follow their shenanigans on the zoo’s panda cam, which will be operational soon. And a lot of the goings-on will be reported via the hashtag #DCpandas.

Photo credit: National Zoo via X