Panda Cub Cools Off, Video Will Make You Smile

WASHINGTON, DC — The most popular star in DC — Bei Bei, the giant panda cub — has given residents already weary of political campaigns a welcome break.

To cool off the bear in Wednesday’s humidity, National Zoo staff cleaning his habitat turned the hose on Bei Bei. And he was more than happy; he plopped on his back, hind legs in the air so his furry underbelly could get a bath.

A snippet of the bath video is posted on the zoo’s Facebook page, and the Internet loves it. You can watch the video below.

Viewer Jenny L Peterson might have spoken for everyone when she said, “BeiBei 2016. Seriously though, just let him fill my FB feed until after the election. Please.”

The zoo staff noted that the nearly 1-year-old cub also enjoys swimming in pools in the exhibit area.

Donna Gray Mathews said, “I saw him playing in his little pool. And now this. Just makes me smile!”

And Carol Loveless said, “Adorable is not quite description enough — adorable plus plus plus.”

Bei Bei is the surviving twin of mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park.

Eighty percent of the National Zoo’s 2.3 million annual visitors visit the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat, which is the centerpiece of the park’s Asia Trail.

There are slightly more than 1,600 pandas remaining in the world, with almost a quarter of them residing in zoos and preservation facilities, according to the Smithsonian. The animals are native to the mountain ranges of Central China. However, due to continued deforestation and other human industrial activities, the species is endangered.

Even among zoos, giant pandas are a rarity. The National Zoo is one of only four in the United States to feature the species. This scarcity only contributes to the pandas allure.

“The fact that we are one of the only zoos in the country to offer giant pandas definitely helps with our popularity,” said zoo spokesman Devon Murphy.

Those who can’t make it to the National Zoo can follow the activities of Bei Bei and his family through the zoo’s pandacam, which provides live stream footage of the animals.

Bei Bei, whose name means “precious treasure” in Mandarin, was named by both First Ladies Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan of China last September when China’s first family came for a state visit.

The presence of giant pandas in Washington is rooted in international diplomacy. Originally given to the United States as a goodwill gesture from China during the restoration of relations between the two nations in the early 1970s, the current family of giant pandas remains here on long-term loan.

After negotiations, the lease on Tian Tian and Mei Xiang recently was extended until 2020. Any of the pair’s offspring are required to be sent to China upon reaching age four.

Bei Bei is scheduled to be sent to China in 2019 to join his older siblings, Bao Bao (who is scheduled for relocation from Washington when she turns 4 years old in 2017) and Tai Shan, who currently resides at the Dujiangyan Panda Base.

»Screenshot of Bei Bei with his mother from National Zoo YouTube video; screenshot of Bei Bei from National Zoo photo