Claudia Dimuro
pennlive.com
Giant pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. are having a blast in the snow.
The institution released a video of the two bears, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, having a grand old time as snowflakes piled up in their enclosure.
The video shows Mei Xiang and Tian Tian sliding on their backs down a snowy hill, rolling around, and generally having a great time in the wintertime weather.
“Native to central China, giant pandas have come to symbolize vulnerable species,” says the National Zoo’s website. “As few as 1,864 giant pandas live in their native habitat, while another 600 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is a leader in giant panda conservation.”
The site continues to explain that the giant pandas’ fur is thick and woolly enough so as to keep the animals warm in cooler climates, making it the perfect, natural advantage to playing in a massive winter storm.
Both Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are full grown adults that were born in China’s Sichan Province. They have a cub together—Xiao Qi Ji—who was born in August 2020. However, it doesn’t appear that Xiao Qi Ji was allowed outside to play in the snow today.
“The Zoo is continuing [its] leadership through research involving the new pandas and research in China that will help save giant pandas in the wild,” further explains the institution. “Furthermore, giant pandas can inspire visitors to care for wildlife and threatened ecosystems around the world. They are ambassadors for conservation.”
They’re also, evidently, ambassadors for loving snowfall, a love which stems from the fact that’ll never have to shovel.
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