海角大神

The excitement at the National Zoo鈥檚 meerkat exhibit was palpable. Sadie the meerkat mama darted back and forth between her publicly viewable habitat and an area 鈥渂ackstage,鈥� her three pups close behind. Frankie the papa meerkat darted about, too, at times scurrying to the top of a log to stand watch. Think Timon the meerkat from 鈥淭he Lion King.鈥�

It was feeding time.

Sadie and Frankie鈥檚 pups are the聽聽at the National Zoo in 16 years, and like all zoo births, they鈥檙e cause for celebration. Just as exciting was the birth a few weeks later of a western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species. The baby girl 鈥� named Zahra in a zoo website poll 鈥� earns her share of oohs and aahs as聽聽in the Great Ape House.

This spring, we also welcomed baby black-footed ferrets, Panamanian golden frogs, and Andean bear cubs. I say 鈥渨e鈥� because the National Zoo is basically my backyard 鈥� close enough to hear the lions roar. And it鈥檚 not hard to get wrapped up in the zoo鈥檚 highs and lows. Nearly three years ago, during the pandemic shutdown, I wrote about聽the zoo鈥檚 surprise baby panda, called Xiao Qi Ji 鈥� 鈥渓ittle miracle鈥� 鈥� because of his mother鈥檚 advanced age.

Now we鈥檙e counting down to the departure of our panda family to China later this year, per a long-standing agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. National Zoo spokesperson Jennifer Zoon says in an email that the plan holds, but, she adds, 鈥渋t鈥檚 our goal to have giant pandas ... and continue our conservation research.鈥�

I鈥檓 sticking with the happy side of zoo life, a source of wonder and joy in a divisive time. Or as Timon the meerkat sang in 鈥淭he Lion King鈥澛犫�� no worries.