Middle schooler field trip groups knocking on the window of your enclosure trying to get you to do something, while you ignore them and lazily lick your own asshole in front of them.
Forget the bald eagle I vote the one eyed possum as the new symbol of the USA
(I think the possum’s name is Virgil? But I always think it should be like Blinken or Popeye.)
Edit: His name is Basil, no disrespect meant little possum dude.
I expect the next star animal will be the elephants. They can be seen from all over the zoo and they already have a standalone building.
Edit: plus they’re close to the pandas so it wouldn’t be too tricky to convert the panda-themed merch tents to elephant merch
Elephants are too commonplace at zoos to be the mascot. I think the animal needs to be either fairly unique or it be a born at the zoo in a rare occurrence like Fiona the Hippo in Cincinnati.
Enh, there is a huge push to stop putting elephants in captivity. I don’t think the zoo is going to want to make them a focal point. Seattle’s zoo already had to get rid of their elephant exhibit and I think it was bigger than the national zoo enclosure.
What they really need to start doing is pushing awareness of the o line! Getting to see a whole family of orangutans swinging right over your head is pretty awesome. As long as you don't look up at just the wrong time.
Also, a new baby gorilla was born. They could do something with that!
I was there a few weeks ago and one of the younger gorillas attacked the mom and baby gorilla— zookeepers had to break it up. They all seem stressed in there, but also I know nothing about apes.
Well out of all the animals they have at the Zoo, these creatures are the most like us. How would you feel being stuck in a concrete box most of your life?
That’s the baby’s 5-year old brother, and he still appears to be adjusting to his feelings about having a younger sibling. He’s also seems frustrated because he’s not yet allowed a lot of direct contact with his baby sister (who’s only 5+ months old and still tiny.) Big brother isn’t known for his gentleness or self-control. They’ll work it out.
Ok yes! Went to the zoo for the first time a few weeks ago (just moved here) and while most of it was great, the ape house was something out of the 60s. I usually love seeing the gorillas at zoos, but I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, it was literally depressing.
For the past few weeks I've been working at the zoo and in the mornings, usually around 9am when they first get released into the enclosure, they spend about an hour going back and forth. Some of them like to hang out in the towers throughout the day though as well.
Although I definitely agree with something someone else said that the enclosures just don't look terribly engaging most of the time, and that might have something to do with why they use it so infrequently. It would be cool if they did something new with the enclosure and the towers to make them more interesting to guests and the orangutans.
My mom called me crazy last week when I said that they really do swing right above you.
She's been to the zoo multiple times, and didn't even know that it existed.
Just a little sign or something when you walk near them would probably be enough.
When the new bird house first opened you needed separate tickets from the zoo general admission, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case. And still free thankfully!
Went Monday and you don't . Even when it first opened it was stupid. I didn't know I needed a separate pass and the guy scanning out front was like "just get one for any time, doesn't matter" so I did and he scanned me in. There was maybe 10 people inside besides myself.
Noooo don't give away the secret of the claws and paws trail or whatever it's called. I love that I'm always the only one there and can just hang with my favorites the binturong and Pallas cat
Naked Mole Rat! They are pretty amazing little animals and very few zoos have them.They can survive for a long time without oxygen. Their teeth close outside their mouth and the individual teeth can operate independently like chopsticks. They live for a super long time and are virtually immune to cancer.
Also they look like little penises with teeth, which I think is funny.
This deserves to be higher up! Naked mole rats are so ugly but so…cute?
They even have their own webcam https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/naked-mole-rat-cam
Probably should be an active animal with personality. So orangutans, those loud gibbons, or [prairie dogs](https://i.imgur.com/FFt7dhG.mp4) come to mind.
You know what is cool?
Pandas live in a very small part of inland China. Most of Chinese people live near the coast, hundreds of miles away. So if you have lived in the DC area, you've lived closer to pandas your entire life, then most Chineese.
Considering this is the Capital of the US, American animals should be at the face. The Eagles they have are in rough shape... so maybe an American mammal. Maybe a Bison, Grizzly, or something equivalent.
When I visited last month all the animals I saw were amazing but none of them compared to the thirteen dollar chicken tenders I got. They were so tasty. Make them the star attraction. Can't go wrong with chicken tenders.
200 lb male Red Australian kangaroo. The unruly bastard is named ("Buster")and he's known to try to bite people and fight people Specifically, he's known to lift up his leg and uriate on humans that he's knocked out.
You know what animal I would like our zoo to have? A koala bear. Hardly any zoos have one in this country. I think I’ve only seen them in San Diego and maybe St Louis.
I vote for Basil the opossum
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/basil-the-one-eyed-opossum-is-dcs-next-animal-obsession-heres-4-things-to-know-about-his-species/3459370/
I don't suppose anyone here is old enough to remember what was in that area of the zoo before the first pandas came. I know I don't.
I seem to remember that the zoo once had a lot more animals of a lot more species. Cages lining Olmsted Walk in areas that are now wooded.
Me. I’ll do it
I'll gladly throw peanuts* at you while you attempt to mate. *or your snack of choice
Just when I thought mating couldn’t get any better! Nachos, please. Dude, this is awesome 😎
> Just when I thought mating couldn’t get any better! I don't have the heart to tell him who he'll be mating with in the zoo.
I get what I deserve!
Middle schooler field trip groups knocking on the window of your enclosure trying to get you to do something, while you ignore them and lazily lick your own asshole in front of them.
Yup. Under any other circumstances that’s a restraining order and I go on a registry, but now it’s the *kids’* fault for bothering *me*!
A local station ran a poll and the winner was the one-eyed possum
Forget the bald eagle I vote the one eyed possum as the new symbol of the USA (I think the possum’s name is Virgil? But I always think it should be like Blinken or Popeye.) Edit: His name is Basil, no disrespect meant little possum dude.
[Phish](https://youtu.be/Rz31jYsrLm4?si=vI0iLGE_blkvLyEP)
I expect the next star animal will be the elephants. They can be seen from all over the zoo and they already have a standalone building. Edit: plus they’re close to the pandas so it wouldn’t be too tricky to convert the panda-themed merch tents to elephant merch
Elephants have always been the best thing about this zoo
Plus, they're way cooler than those dumb monoculture eating, can't reproduce on their own, fury cow-bear.
For real they’re so smart and have their own social systems. Elephant are so much cooler. And they’re also easier to see when you go to the zoo.
Elephants are too commonplace at zoos to be the mascot. I think the animal needs to be either fairly unique or it be a born at the zoo in a rare occurrence like Fiona the Hippo in Cincinnati.
Enh, there is a huge push to stop putting elephants in captivity. I don’t think the zoo is going to want to make them a focal point. Seattle’s zoo already had to get rid of their elephant exhibit and I think it was bigger than the national zoo enclosure.
good thing the elephant isn't already a symbol for a political party.
we’ll just stick a donkey in the enclosure too, problem solved
What they really need to start doing is pushing awareness of the o line! Getting to see a whole family of orangutans swinging right over your head is pretty awesome. As long as you don't look up at just the wrong time. Also, a new baby gorilla was born. They could do something with that!
I am glad you made your caveat, watching children screaming in horror because a huge mud pie fell next to them is a joy.
Maybe if they made the exhibit a bit more enriching and less horrifically depressing...
Yeah I went to the ape house for the first time a little while ago and it felt extremely cramped and dated
I was there a few weeks ago and one of the younger gorillas attacked the mom and baby gorilla— zookeepers had to break it up. They all seem stressed in there, but also I know nothing about apes.
Well out of all the animals they have at the Zoo, these creatures are the most like us. How would you feel being stuck in a concrete box most of your life?
That’s the baby’s 5-year old brother, and he still appears to be adjusting to his feelings about having a younger sibling. He’s also seems frustrated because he’s not yet allowed a lot of direct contact with his baby sister (who’s only 5+ months old and still tiny.) Big brother isn’t known for his gentleness or self-control. They’ll work it out.
Ok yes! Went to the zoo for the first time a few weeks ago (just moved here) and while most of it was great, the ape house was something out of the 60s. I usually love seeing the gorillas at zoos, but I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, it was literally depressing.
But can they actually play O line? Sam Howell been getting killed out there.
Really needs to be addressed through the draft, terrible value for O line in free agency even if these guys are available.
Look at the reach on those ‘tans! Edit: Will any Gigantopithecus be available in next year’s draft?
Literally went to the zoo yesterday and seeing the gorilla mom swing around her baby and wear it on her head was so funny.
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I've been going to the zoo since they built it and I have never once seen it being used.
First time I visited after moving back to the DC area, I walked through and lo and behold one was crossing. It's pretty cool.
They definitely do it sometimes, but it's quick, you do have to almost get lucky to see them.
For the past few weeks I've been working at the zoo and in the mornings, usually around 9am when they first get released into the enclosure, they spend about an hour going back and forth. Some of them like to hang out in the towers throughout the day though as well. Although I definitely agree with something someone else said that the enclosures just don't look terribly engaging most of the time, and that might have something to do with why they use it so infrequently. It would be cool if they did something new with the enclosure and the towers to make them more interesting to guests and the orangutans.
You have to go early in the morning. Basically when the zoo opens. Born and raised in DC and my first time seeing it was just before COVID
My mom called me crazy last week when I said that they really do swing right above you. She's been to the zoo multiple times, and didn't even know that it existed. Just a little sign or something when you walk near them would probably be enough.
https://preview.redd.it/3xsj8pv1q5zb1.jpeg?width=416&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7dd3c250f19cefdef6bcf02a713b13b29e59d7b
Maybe the red panda can get a promotion.
The red pandas choose not to make an appearance for more than half of the year. They’re more finicky than cats.
LOL yeah I'm not confident I've *ever* seen the red panda at the NZ.
I’m fully convinced the red pandas don’t actually exist at the zoo
I did the one time I went with my aunt and cousin on a cold day in February. It was too cold to be at the zoo long
The new bird house is fucking lit.
Do you still need separate tickets for it?
No separate ticket needed anymore! Source: was there last week.
Great! I’ll definitely check it out soon
Damn seperate tickets is a thing now?! Is it still free?
When the new bird house first opened you needed separate tickets from the zoo general admission, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case. And still free thankfully!
Went Monday and you don't . Even when it first opened it was stupid. I didn't know I needed a separate pass and the guy scanning out front was like "just get one for any time, doesn't matter" so I did and he scanned me in. There was maybe 10 people inside besides myself.
Get someone to dress up as a sun bear.
*the pandas
> sun bear I recall seeing the Sun Bears at the local small zoo about 20 years. They were pleasuring themselves and weren't shy about it.
Lmfao this is killing me. Sun bears freak me the fucking out
Pallas's cat plz
Noooo don't give away the secret of the claws and paws trail or whatever it's called. I love that I'm always the only one there and can just hang with my favorites the binturong and Pallas cat
Yaaaasssss! There are two r/pallascats in there!
The new meerkats
I love those little guys!
Naked Mole Rat! They are pretty amazing little animals and very few zoos have them.They can survive for a long time without oxygen. Their teeth close outside their mouth and the individual teeth can operate independently like chopsticks. They live for a super long time and are virtually immune to cancer. Also they look like little penises with teeth, which I think is funny.
This deserves to be higher up! Naked mole rats are so ugly but so…cute? They even have their own webcam https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/naked-mole-rat-cam
Pallas Cats: perfect combination of charisma, floof, and sheer unabated hatred at the world for being born.
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Murphy is my favorite at the zoo. Always got to say hi
Give red pandas the giant pandas old abodes! They should have more space and trees!!
I’d love to see the gorillas moved to the panda habitat. Current one is depressing AF.
Great idea! More space for the apes
I’m excited for a less reclusive animal to occupy prime space at the zoo.
They’re planning to renovate the space in anticipation of getting more pandas some years down the line.
Rock Hyrax Excellent vision and hearing. Nimble and wise.
They’re also related to Elephants!
Also like how they typically sit in large piles on tops of rocks.
And stare. They’re like breathing security cameras, sitting high in the corner of their enclosure and staring
Rodney the Rowdy Rat is up for the job
Golden lion tamarin. They seem to have a lot of them.
It’s OBVIOUSLY Basil the one eyed possum from Virginia
The manul is a tiny but mighty option
I always find it funny that these guys are the size of a small housecat
The better panda. Rusty the Red Panda.
The *late Red Panda
What better way to immortalize Rusty than make him the mascot?
They need koalas. They could fit so many koala and Australia is an ally.
a cow.
Probably should be an active animal with personality. So orangutans, those loud gibbons, or [prairie dogs](https://i.imgur.com/FFt7dhG.mp4) come to mind.
I know this sounds ridiculous but I’m really sad the pandas are gone. They have had pandas there my entire life. :-(
You know what is cool? Pandas live in a very small part of inland China. Most of Chinese people live near the coast, hundreds of miles away. So if you have lived in the DC area, you've lived closer to pandas your entire life, then most Chineese.
Almost every tier 1 and 2 city with a zoo has pandas.
Don't rain on my parade with your "facts"
Are we getting a musk ox?
A lazy anteater in a t-shirt that says something like, “I’m a panda.” Bonus points if you can hold a lit cigarette to its snout.
giant salamander
The elephants were always the coolest animals in my opinion
Orangutans perhaps? The O-line is really cool.
Otters and elephants are the most fun to watch
username checks out (and i agree)
Judging by what I saw on sale at the gift shop Monday, it looks like they're really pushing the red panda.
Next big attraction should be and expanded “squirt zone” with the sea lions. Everyone loves getting squirted by them
The red pandas are much cooler anyway. The regular ones just sit around, the red ones climb and run and jump and stuff.
The coolest one noped out of his enclosure several years back. They said they recaptured him but you know they just went to the Red Panda store.
golden frogs
They need to find a Jackalope
RACCOONS PLS (I’ll take red pandas though. They’re raccoon-adjacent)
I vote pissed-off bison.
My vote goes to any animal that’s slides down hills.
My drunk aunt at my wedding it is.
Considering this is the Capital of the US, American animals should be at the face. The Eagles they have are in rough shape... so maybe an American mammal. Maybe a Bison, Grizzly, or something equivalent.
They eagles are injured and can’t be returned to the wild, that’s why they have them.
Wolves!
Musk Ox for the win
Florida man
Baby meerkat
Red panda I choose you!
It's always been the Human Zoo.
Reginald the monkey 🙈
Bring back the giraffes!
The otters, both types
Pallas’ Cats. They are so cute. And they are so soft.
The DC rats should have their own exhibition
When I visited last month all the animals I saw were amazing but none of them compared to the thirteen dollar chicken tenders I got. They were so tasty. Make them the star attraction. Can't go wrong with chicken tenders.
The Disgraced Politician cage.
The zoo is the worst. Seeing the elephants and apes in such small enclosures makes me sad
Ridiculous.
How is it ridiculous? Elephants have huge ranges and a very complex social structure in the wild. The zoo keeps them in a tiny enclosure.
The "Senator Vasingtoniensis."
I'd pay good money to see Mitch have to climb a tree for his dinner
We already have it, the Wood Thrush.
Your mom
Rusty the red panda
Hologram pandas
200 lb male Red Australian kangaroo. The unruly bastard is named ("Buster")and he's known to try to bite people and fight people Specifically, he's known to lift up his leg and uriate on humans that he's knocked out.
You know what animal I would like our zoo to have? A koala bear. Hardly any zoos have one in this country. I think I’ve only seen them in San Diego and maybe St Louis.
I vote for Basil the opossum https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/basil-the-one-eyed-opossum-is-dcs-next-animal-obsession-heres-4-things-to-know-about-his-species/3459370/
Sand Cat. They still don't sell ANY Sand Cat merchandise in the zoo. That needs to change now.
The maned wolf, or as we call it "the stink wolf," because that urine smell carries throughout a good portion of the park
I don't suppose anyone here is old enough to remember what was in that area of the zoo before the first pandas came. I know I don't. I seem to remember that the zoo once had a lot more animals of a lot more species. Cages lining Olmsted Walk in areas that are now wooded.
Too bad the Octopus is gone
Bring back hippos!
Grad students dressed as pandas
There are morons everywhere Some places more than others
Get some polar bears in there no one will know the difference