The panda cub really packed it on when nobody was looking. Photograph courtesy of the National Zoo.
The National Institutes of Health can resume researching deadly diseases, Head Start programs will be funded, and the Federal Housing Authority can start processing home loans. But clearly, at least according to the internet, the most important government program to return today is the National Zoo’s panda camera, which is once again broadcasting round-the-clock surveillance footage of female giant panda Mei Xiang and her eight-week-old cub.
The video feeds overloaded with traffic almost immediately. While the cameras are running, actually being able to view the footage is a crapshoot. (Cameras are also rolling on several less popular species, too.)
The cub is also much plumper than it was the last time we saw it. Over the 16-day shutdown, the cub ballooned from 3.07 pounds to 5 pounds, or about a 66 percent weight gain. The female cub still can’t stand on her own, but she can at least roll over if she is lying on her back. The cub’s senses have also developed greatly since the outside world got its last glimpse on September 30. Her eyes are partially open, and her ears are fully open.
The zoo will re-open Friday. Until then, here’s video of the growing cub squawking and getting examined.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
National Zoo’s Panda Cam Is Back On
Fresh glimpses of a growing cub are more popular with Americans than the resumption of more vital government services.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown
A “Corpse Flower” Is Currently in Bloom at the Botanic Garden