The first snow in Washington, D.C., in nearly two years arrived Sunday, and the pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo took full advantage.
Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are shown in Smithsonian National Zoo video sliding and rolling around in the snow in the giant panda’s outdoor habitat. Be warned: the video is dangerously cute!
Five-month-old cub Xiao Qi Ji was also pictured enjoying his first ever major snowfall. The zoo said the cub ventured out of his indoor habitat for about five minutes to check out the snow, but did not go all the way out to the outdoor habitat to play.
The National Zoo says Xiao Qi Ji was very interested in looking around the zookeepers’ space and even took a nip at the snow. The zoo also posted pictures of some of its other animals enjoying the winter weather Sunday.
❄️ As snow blanketed Washington, D.C., our animals woke up to a winter wonderland. With this weather event came another significant milestone—giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji’s first encounter with snow! Keepers say he took a little nip at the fresh powder. 🐾👅#SnowDay #PandaStory pic.twitter.com/8hYfYuoP5f
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) January 31, 2021
