Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Zoo and other Smithsonian agencies closed their doors to visitors again on Monday. But the zoo's webcams, which are still live, include the panda-cam channel, will continue to share cute footage of the agency's newly named baby panda during the latest shutdown.
The National Zoo just unveiled the name of the newborn baby panda on Monday: "Little Miracle." The zoo handed over naming rights to netizens, who cast nearly 135,000 votes online last week to choose their favorite names. "Little Miracle" beat out the other four options, including "Happiness" and "Cubs".
Given the special circumstances of the year – and the already precarious situation of giant pandas in the wild – the birth of "Little Miracle" on August 21 is a small miracle. Scientists believe that there are currently fewer than 1,900 giant pandas left in the wild. The International Union for conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers the creature "vulnerable". They have strict eating habits. Threats to bamboo forests, such as human development and climate change, are particularly threatening to giant pandas.
It's also really difficult to breed giant pandas. The "Little Miracle" is bred through artificial insemination. In August, when the zoo first found fetal tissue during a ultrasound examination of the giant panda "Meixiang", it said that there was still a "considerable possibility" that it would "miscarry or be absorbed by the mother" (a phenomenon that scientists still do not understand).
The good news is that, thanks to conservation efforts, giant pandas were removed from the IUCN list of endangered species in 2016. Since then, the species has become a sort of symbol of conservationist hope. The National Zoo refers to the number of giant pandas in the zoo as an "insurance policy to prevent extinction." The zoo has a long-term agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Society to breed giant pandas on the condition that U.S.-born pups be returned to China after four years. The current agreement expires at the end of this year.
The "Little Miracle" brought some hope and joy to the zoo during a difficult year. The Smithsonian Museum and Zoo closed as a precaution in March, but reopened in September. With infection rates surging across the U.S., these institutions are now closed again, and they have yet to set a date for reopening.
"Like a lot of people, I've been following our panda cub since it was born last summer, and I often watch the giant panda camera. Looking at the little miracle, I always had a smile on my face. Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Institute of Conservation Biology, said in a statement Monday. When we close, I encourage you to watch our giant panda cubs thrive on panda cams. It is a source of happiness! ”