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The
"Panda Palooza" to honor their legacy as animal ambassadors and
beloved Washington icons drew a reduced crowd on Saturday
because of torrential rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia,
according to local news reports.
The weather forced the zoo to cancel some outdoor events over
the weekend, but it did not deter some heartier visitors from
around the United States from flocking to the panda enclosure
for one last glimpse at the threesome. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and
their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early
December.
The coming week will feature panda-themed film screenings,
concerts, lectures, yoga, arts and craft activities, and "tasty
celebratory treats" provided by the Chinese Embassy in
Washington, according to the zoo's website.
The festivities could end a day sooner than planned, however, if
Congress fails to provide funding for the fiscal year starting
Oct. 1 due to an ongoing dispute between far-right Republicans
and other lawmakers.
The zoo, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, receives federal
funding, and would be forced to close to the public during a
government shutdown, according to its website. The shutdown
would not disrupt animal care, but the zoo's popular live "Panda
Cam" would go dark.
Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under
a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China
Wildlife Conservation Association. The pandas were initially
meant to stay 10 years, but the agreement has been renewed three
times since 2010.
The zoo's giant panda program began in 1972, when Chinese
Premier Zhou Enlai donated two pandas to the United States soon
after President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China that
year.
The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to
acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it
"hopes to continue this work in the future."
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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