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Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Bei Bei rolling in the snow
Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Bei Bei eat bamboo and roll in the snow at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on February 20, 2019. (Smithsonian's National Zoo)
WASHINGTON - When flakes fall in Washington, D.C., you can’t help but think back to how much fun the National Zoo’s giant pandas used to have playing in the snow!
Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji departed for China last November, leaving the Zoo without pandas for the first time since the exchange program began in the 1970s.
READ MORE: Giant pandas land safely in China marking end of an era in DC
Giant panda Mei Xiang’s paw print in the snow on January 17, 2022.
But for years, the Zoo would mark D.C. snowstorms with videos and photos of pure panda joy!
Here’s a look at some of our favorite panda videos of slides, somersaults, rolls, and romps in the snow!
READ MORE: National Zoo shares photo of panda cub Xiao Qi Ji’s first time in the snow!
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Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian play in the DC snow
Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have fun in the snow at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in January 2021. (Smithsonian's National Zoo)
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Giant panda Bao Bao's first snow day!
Giant panda Bao Bao plays in the snow for the very first time at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2015. (Smithsonian's National Zoo)
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Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji plays in the fresh, powdery snow
Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji plowed face-first into the fresh, powdery snow at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in January 2021. (Smithsonian's National Zoo)