By now, the barely distant US Government Shutdown of 2013 has been diffused into our consciousness, and the majority of us have already forgiven and forgotten! Who cares? Well, there were a variety of odd programs that were not able to function (poison ivy-eating goats, anyone?) but the biggest outrage for many Americans was the blacked-out panda cam.
Yes, you heard right–the National Zoo’s panda cam was shut down (N.B. the cam is up and running after the end to the shutdown on October 16).
So how are our cuddly friends touched by the actions of Capitol hill? Since a government shutdown is when “non-essential” agencies (such as parks and museums) close in order to conserve federal money, the federal-run “non-essential” Smithsonian Institution, and therefore the National Zoo, were shut down as well. The camera, however, is actually run by volunteers. However, during a government shutdown, the only people allowed on federal property are “essential employees”. Though volunteers go unpaid, the operation of the cams require resources and staff that were unavailable during the shutdown. But in the end, it all boils down to this: no panda streaming.
Many people, though lamenting the ineffectiveness of the government, were up-in-arms about this facet of the shutdown. Apparently, most of the population uses the panda cam as a way to de-stress and coo over fluffy blobs of fluff. But fear not, panda fans! There are still many other panda sites out there for you. Just google away. The San Diego, Memphis, and Atlanta Zoos all have panda cams, and TIME Magazine even ran a satirical stuffed-panda version during the course of the shutdown.
