It’s been hot in Washington, D.C., and Bei Bei is trying not to get too sweaty. The Smithsonian National Zoo’s male cub is nearly a year old, experiencing his first steamy capital summer.
Bei Bei’s zookeepers help him keep cool, spraying him with a hose as they clean the enclosure he shares with his mom, Mei Xiang. His older sister Bao Bao, who will be 3 this month, and father Tian Tian each have separate enclosures, because adult pandas are solitary.
In the wild, pandas live in the mountain ranges in China and are happiest in cooler temperatures. The panda house at the National Zoo is climate controlled to keep their furry bodies cool when it’s warm outside. Bei Bei still occasionally ventures outside in the 90-degree temperatures, climbing a tree to snooze while his mom chows down on bamboo.