Bye Bye, Bao Bao - [A Little Less Panda-monium at the National Zoo, Washington, DC]
This past weekend was warm and Spring-like in Washington, DC with mid-day temps reaching the low 70s ℉.
So, this past Sunday seemed like the perfect day to head over to the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park and enjoy some r&r with friends, a leisurely walk, and a chance to observe and capture some nice zoological photographs.
The good news is that the National Zoo has free admission but, unless you're a member you still have to pay to park. Because of this, many choose to walk to the park, jog through the park, or park in the surrounding neighborhoods and walk in.
But things apparently weren't meant to go so smoothly. We first noticed the "unusual" when we were driving along Connecticut Avenue, making our way towards the National Zoo. The traffic was at a virtual stand-still and it took the better part of an hour to get in the vicinity of the Zoo.
Our friends have memberships to the National Zoo and they are quite familiar with the ride there, the parking situation, and the Zoo's layout. So as we're crawling along on Connecticut Avenue, they noticed a street mural on the side of one of the buildings that said: Bye, Bye Bao Bao. Suddenly, it was the eureka moment where they remembered that this weekend was the final weekend that Bao Bao would spend at the National Zoo.
Bao Bao (Chinese: 宝宝; pinyin: Bǎobǎo, meaning "precious treasure" or "baby") is the female Panda cub that was born at the National Zoo 3.5 years ago on August 23, 2013. She was scheduled to be put on a FedEx plane at Dulles International Airport on President's Day (02/20/2017) for the 16-hour nonstop flight back to Chengdu, China.
Bao Bao's parents are Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. She also has a brother named Tai Shan who was born at the National Zoo on July 9, 2005.
You see, almost all the Giant Pandas in all the zoos around the world are on loan from China. And the stipulation is that any cubs born abroad must be returned before the age of 4 so that they can enter the Chinese Giant Panda breeding program.
The troubles didn't stop once we got to the zoo. Our friends were convinced that, based on the traffic we hit getting there, there would be little chance of getting a parking spot in one of the Zoo's official lots. So we decided to park in the surrounding neighborhood and hoof it to the Zoo.
And even after getting into the Zoo proper, the Asia Trail where Bao Bao was situated was sardine packing to say the least. It took a lot of patience to persist on the slow moving line to make our way to Bao Bao.
And this is where I learned another lesson. As much as I love my new Sony RX100 V compact camera with its ZEISS 24-70mm zoom lens, it's really not a good choice for getting close-up photographs of the animals. In many cases, including dear little Bao Bao (who, BTW, didn't appear all that little), they are just too far away to get good shots. Bao Bao was way off in the distance, playing with and eating a large ice cake that was specially made for her.
As a result, I didn't take any pictures of Bao Bao, or many other animals for that matter. Well, I did get a picture of a pair of Bison.
But you can see plenty of photos of Bao Bao by Googling and also here:
Anyways, traffic and congestion aside, it was still a great day and we had a really good time and enjoyed each other's company and the beautiful Spring weather!
So what I thought I'd do is show you some of the images that I did capture from our day at the Zoo. Albeit, sans many animals, but hopefully you will still enjoy them!
Flowers were everywhere in the neighborhoods that we walked through to get to the Zoo. It appears that spring has sprung in DC.
Root bound.
Zoo bound. People headed across Connecticut Avenue to the Zoo's main entrance.
A pair of brass lions stand guard at the Zoo's entrance.
Every Zoo has to have banners!!!
On the the Asia Trail (aka, the slow boat to Bao Bao) with my Sony held high overhead to get this shot.
Sculpture of a Sloth Bear toting its cub on the Asia Trail.
Educational mailboxes for the kiddies.
I just really liked that puffy cloud.
Ok, so I did manage one live animal shot! A pair of Bison.
Trellis.
Rusty metal bison sillhouette.
Headed out as many others were still headed in.
Lucite clock across Connecticut Avenue from the main entrance.
Someone taking a break.
A bear escaped from the Zoo and is taking a nap of a nearby park bench.
South Cathedral Mansions, Woodley, DC.
A home in the neighborhood where we parked.
All images (except as noted below) @cognoscere and taken on Sunday 02/19/2017 in and around the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park (Sony RX100 V)
@cognscere - that first photo reminds me of a famous album cover, sans Beatles. Nice work! Bye Bye Bao Bao!
Thanks @lrich, yeah it does kind of evoke that Abbey Road vibe a bit!
That pink bear looks pretty dangerous, hope the guy above him was ok...
I LOVE the Smithsonian. Spent a whole week in DC once or twice, basically living in the museums. So much to see. Haven't been to the zoo yet. Looks like a great place to visit. Next time. Thanks for sharing, looks like a fun day, except the zoom/camera stuff.
Yeah, it's a really nice zoo. I've been there three times in the last few years.
Great images, even without the pandas! I really like your sculpture shots. It's pretty amazing how early spring has come to the DC area. I don't know whether to hope it holds -- and they get a long summer -- or that is gets cooler, but at the risk of some plants. Enjoy the flowers, no matter what comes next! : )