The government shutdown is affecting countless businesses and agencies across the U.S., and to the dismay of many, the National Zoo's panda cam as well, The Huffington Post reports, as pandas are apparently "non-essential" during the current crisis.
"If the federal government shuts down on Oct. 1, the Smithsonian's National Zoo will be closed to the public," the Washington D.C. zoo announced in a new press release. "All programming and events will be canceled. All vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle paths into the Zoo will be closed. None of our live animal cams will broadcast."
And since the government has indeed shutdown, it looks as though fans of the pandas will have to wait for quite a while to see their furry favorites.
During the shutdown, federal workers have been separated into "essential" and "non-essential" (or "expected" and "non-expected") groups, and around 400 national parks and museums, including the Smithsonian's National Zoo, will be closed to the public.
After the latest birth of 233-pound panda mom Mei Xiang's new baby girl cub (still yet unnamed), animal fans around the world have been looking forward to enjoying the Zoo's free livestream of the bears' activities, but will have to wait a while longer to get their panda fix, as the cameras have now gone dark along with all other animal cameras.
"Volunteers are not allowed onto zoo property in the event of a government shutdown," Zoo spokesperson Devin Murphy told The Huffington Post. Except for emergency information, the zoo will also cease updating its official Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts about the animals of the park until further notice.
Other currently closed parks include Yosemite National Park in California, Alcatraz in San Francisco, and the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Click here to read the official national park service contingency plan.
