We thought that since all political scandals have been dubbed some sort of “Gate” thingie, since the days of Watergate, We decided to name this debacle Open Late Gate, or if you want to use the hashtag version, #OpenLateGate.
As we saw just a few days ago, Princess Pinky was not amused at the reduction in hours when her most faithful fans can visit her. We won’t even talk about all the joggers that use the zoo for their early morning runs, or the cars that rely on North Road as a commuting alternative.
Far be it from me to jump on a pony that is not tethered in my own paddock, (ha!) but as a promoter of panda satire, I have a close relationship, not only with pandas, but also with the people who visit them regularly, if not incessantly. While the national zoo is free to walk in by anyone with no admission charge (huzzah!) many of the panda faithful, and I’m guessing fans of other animals as well, (wait! There are other animals at the zoo besides pandas?) buy zoo memberships in order to support this beloved institution. At the higher levels of membership, you can also park your car there, which is an added benefit. (Did I mention they have PANDAS???)
An article I read recently added up the lost hours, which amounts to being closed for 7.5 days each month.
As Pinky is inclined to say…
“Dis. Will. Not. Stand!!!!!”
…or as Bubba says, “dis. not. stan!”
I hope you noted Mei Xiang’s masterful attempt at censoring Pinky’s comment. Sigh…what’s a mother to do?
So, if you have an opinion about all this, and would like to weigh in (more respectfully than Pinky, of course) here’s the link to the contact page at the Smithsonian National Zoo. After all, if they don’t know what the people think, they’ll just think we don’t care. After all, it is the people’s zoo!
Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda
I know this is a serious issue, but I haven’t stopped laughing. Tears are still rolling down my cheeks. I really hope you get this matter resolved.
There are few issues so serious that pandas can make fun of them. (Particularly in political or public sectors)
Wow, I assumed it was due to budget issues, but evidently not. Post article
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/11/20/the-national-zoo-needs-shorter-hours-so-its-trucks-wont-hit-joggers/ gives me the scoop but this one gives a link to a petition.
https://wamu.org/news/15/12/30/national_zoo_cuts_hours_prompting_a_petition_from_residents
Looks like the neighbors, and others, don’t like it either! There are currently 652 signers to the petition, which means Pinky still has a lot of work to do!!!!
Well,that’s what he SAYS, but there are no actual incidents cited, here or in other communications by Kelly. I know that DC has more lawyers per square inch than anywhere else in the US, but I am unconvinced. If joggers are going to run with headphones, they are going to do it in the middle of the afternoon too, when there are a lot more obstacles around.
I am curious to hear if anyone has noticed any change in traffic congestion in the zoo neighborhood as a result of this change in opening time. I’m not saying that joggers getting hit by trucks is a trivial thing. I have a friend who almost died as a result of getting hit by a car, while he was jogging. But are we going to close all roads in the early morning hours because something bad might happen? We don’t seem to be willing to do that with, say, guns, for instance.
Pinky has her own views on this, and anything that’s bad for Pinky, well…..
I agree. I can understand money issues, but without substantive info or stats on safety this smells rather like a large pile of droppings.
That is why I posted the info regarding a petition and its link! Pinky power to the rescue.
Yes, thanks for posting that! We shall see, won’t we?
After seeing how cute it is when she bends down to search for her wand, I wouldn’t mind kissing Pinky’s fluffy bVICKY!
Did I just get edited?
Ha ha! It is hard to get one past mama Mei! She doesn’t have an adorable fluffy butt, doesn’t she? Ha ha ! Got one past!
This one really made me laugh,very cute……………..
Glad you enjoyed it!
Can’t stop laughing. Best damn thing I read all day. And it was a busy horrible non-panda day to boot. FROSTING! Bubba butt!
Glad I could improve your day. I just love Pinky saying “he can kiss my fluffy butt.” Hee Hee.
Frosting!
I *always* got in trouble when I enriched my Di Di’s vocabulary as a kid. *sigh* I feel your pain, Pinky. I also think it’s stupid that the zoo’s opening later for (apparently) no good reason. Hope Pinky and the people of the Georgetown area overcome!
Pinky’s arms crossed and “Well, da zoo director can kiss my fluffy butt” just made me laugh until I teared up!
Ha ha! I think it is the privildge of being an older sibling to lead your younger sibs astray and teach them bad language. Bubba so obviously adores Pinky and wants to do everything she does. Mei will have her work cut out for her, both in fiction and reality.
I would be curious to know what the folks on the ground…the people who work at the zoo really think about the hour change. But I’m sure they wouldn’t tell us, unless they agreed with the decision. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
I think that the zoo director would be thrilled to kiss either of those fluffy butts!
One would think so! after all, who wouldn’t?
I agree with Vicky. The only thing cuter than an indignant cubby, is that indignant cubby’s fluffy, um, bottom. I wonder if I will get censored?
Nope…you appparently made it past the censors. Huzzah!