It was five Saturdays ago on Oct. 11 that the gates to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo were closed to the public due to the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump signed a bill on Wednesday that funds the government through Jan. 30, 2026, which ended the longest government shutdown in history. Now, the Smithsonian museums are reopening on a “rolling basis.”
On Saturday morning, the Woodley Park neighborhood of D.C. was packed with people with smiles and strollers as they entered the main gates of the National Zoo.
WTOP spoke to some visitors, including two friends who are both bird enthusiasts.
“My friend is visiting,” Afnan, an environmental scientist, said. “I let her know that they’re going to take the animals off furlough today.”
Nicole, Afnan’s friend, came from New Jersey and is staying up the street from the zoo on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest D.C.
The two friends wore matching hummingbird earrings, and said their favorite bird was the cassowary.
“It’s just so cool and pretty in blue, and they have two of them here at the zoo,” Afnan said.
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Another local living near the zoo, Seth Eames, was pleased to be back.
“I just think it’s great that we’re back open and ready for business now,” Eames said. “We have grandkids in Rockville and Frederick; we are going to bring them down.”
Eames and his wife, who have lived in D.C. since 2009, are happy they can once again take their neighborhood walk around the zoo.
Along with the locals, some families traveled a great distance for the zoo’s first day back, including Charlie Bennett and his 8-year-old son Matthew.
“We came down from West Virginia to see the zoo today,” Bennett said. “I think it’ll be a really great day, and we’re thankful to have this opportunity.”
The two drove for an hour and a half for a day of fun at the zoo.
“We wanted to see the pandas. They are my new favorite animal,” Matthew said.
It should not be a surprise that a lot of visitors’ first stop when they arrive at the zoo is at the panda house.
Ten-year-old Rosaline told WTOP she was also there to see the pandas: “We didn’t drive here because we don’t want to be in the traffic, so instead we took a Metro train.”
Traveling from Fort Meade with Rosaline was her 7-year-old sister, Evangeline, and their mom, who said she was “married to an Army guy.”
While Evangeline also wanted to see a panda, there was another animal on her “must-see” list.
“A piggy thing that looks like a pig but doesn’t look kinda like a pig,” she said.
Thanks to the National Zoo staff, the animal’s name is the red river hog.
Another family entering the zoo with a stroller was the Andrews family from Howard County, Maryland.
“I’m a furloughed government employee, we’ve been sitting around, and now we’re getting out for the first time,” Cherisa Andrews said.
Joining Cherisa with her husband, Aaron, was their 2-year-old daughter, Serenity, who was going to see elephants for the first time.
“Serenity is into the elephants, so I’m excited to see her reaction,” Aaron said. “This is a big day for her.”
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is open daily from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. While it’s free to visit the zoo, you need an entry pass and parking is $40.
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