Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo

I wonder if she'd be willing to share? Tian Tian the giant panda was treated to a delicious fruitcicle — apples and pears frozen in apple juice — at the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo in Washington DC. And it looks like Tian Tian will get to stick around our nation's capital for a while longer: a new agreement with China, where Tian Tian and partner Mei Xiang are on loan from, allows the pandas to stay at the zoo for five more years.

Check out the gallery for more cute photos of Tian Tian!

To prevent a sink-or-swim situation, lion cubs have to go through the motions to test water prowess! Naturally, before the four babes at the National Zoo can live at the exhibit with mom later this year, they need to be able to navigate the moat that surrounds it since they still aren't making life jackets in lion sizes. Keepers were on hand to conduct the swim tests one at a time, but this lil one doesn't seem to be a fan of the water quite yet.

The big cats are not known to be expert swimmers and tend to stick to land in the wild, but I must say the cubs look rather adorable in their efforts. See more swim time shots below!

Congrats, Mama! Shera gave birth to four cubs on Aug. 31 at the National Zoo in DC, and you can watch them move — or, at press time, sleep — at your leisure!

The newly launched Lioncub Cam goes behind the scenes for a sneak peek at the babes not yet on exhibit to public visitors. The lil ones are still without names but, if this zoo's past tweeting habits are any indication, I'm sure we'll learn more about the lion babies sooner rather than later!

If you're as captivated as I was by my dog's daycare camera, refresh your memory on my tips to set one up in your home, too!

Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo

Laughter is contagious, and this orangutan is getting a kick out of something! As it turns out, she's part of the Think Tank exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington DC. Here Bonnie, Batang, and pals can play along with zoo visitors and not just pose for photo ops.
There's a button for the apes to spray human passersby with water to help beat the heat and a way to play tug-of-war as well. Are you ready to join in the fun?

See more pictures and read more

The beloved National Zoo panda took a one-way direct flight from Dulles to Chengdu, China (in that nifty crate) this morning. Sad.
There's no passport necessary as this US-born babe is headed home to meet some pretty female pandas, fingers crossed. As part of the conservation and breeding program, the giant creatures — including parents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian — were just on loan and now the five-year-old's off to hopefully help keep the species alive for future animal lovers 'round the world.

He got to enjoy some wintry weather on his final day so peep the rest of his snowy romp when you read more