Eleven Views of the Smithsonian National Zoo #4

Of course, one of--if not--the landmark species at the National Zoo is the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).  First arriving back during the Nixon presidency as a gift from China in which we sent them a pair of North American Bison (Bison bison), the National Zoo is one of only 5 zoos in North America to house Giant Pandas in their collections.  The others are Zoo Atlanta, the Memphis Zoo, the San Diego Zoo and the Toronto Zoo in Canada.  ALL Giant Pandas in foreign zoos are leased from China at an annual cost of about 1 million dollars per animal.  Did you know that?  The next most expensive animal to house at a zoo is the Elephant and their cost range is wide depending on a number of circumstances, but the most expensive Elephant is less than half as expensive a Giant Panda.

 Upon arriving at their complex of exterior habitats I was delighted to see that Mei Xiang was out enjoying a morning meal of bamboo.  So into was she that at one point she just flopped back and munched on the crunch stalks laying down.  Two habitats over was the comic Tian Tian--he's a real clown and he loves the physical comedy.  He'll delight you by climbing a tree to precarious heights and then flip over head-down and wiggle his way back to the ground!  The first time I saw him do this, I thought he was going to break his neck, but not to worry, he's a seasoned pro at using this skill to delight and enthrall his audience.  As I was about leave, his supply of bamboo arrived and he too was over the moon with his crunchy brunch.