Fri-YAY: DC’s Giant Panda Cub

As George R.R. Martin wrote in the Game of Thrones books, the night is dark and full of terrors, the day bright and beautiful and full of hope. In this space I plan to mention something that makes me smile: an organization, a story I found, a cute picture, really anything that brightens up my day and I hope might brighten up your day too.

A little over a month ago, the Washington, DC area welcomed an exciting new addition, approximately the size of a stick of butter (for those of you who remember the O.G. DC Butterstick, of course): a giant panda cub was born at the Smithsonian National Zoo. As someone who is fully in the pocket of Big Butter, I wasn’t sure something could be better than a literal stick of butter, but it turns out that a tiny panda cub the same size as a stick of butter is close.

For those who don’t know, panda pregnancies are somewhat rare and newborn cubs are fragile, so the arrival of a healthy cub has been a real treat to follow. The Zoo has been doing a great job keeping the public informed, both via their 24-7 Panda Cam and video updates. Last week, they posted a video of the cub’s first veterinary exam, which you can find below:

For those of you local to DC, the Zoo is open for visitors on a limited basis. I visited with my family in August (the day the panda cub was born, actually) and in our experience, visitors were respectful of social distancing and mask requirements, even outdoors. Many of the indoor exhibits are closed, but the Elephant House and Great Ape House were open with limited capacity. We felt safe, though of course, everybody’s tolerance for risk is different.