🐼💨 Zoom into National Panda Day with Bao Li! Our 3-year-old giant panda's prowess for sliding, tumbling and somersaulting scores a perfect 🔟 across the board. 📹 Tune in to the Giant Panda Cam, sponsored by @Boeing, to see what adorable acrobatics he's up to today: nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/p…. #DCPandas . . . Video description: Giant panda Bao Li runs and rolls through his yard, climbs trees, slides down branches and chases treat-dispensing toys.

🦧🎉 Markisa, our beautiful Sumatran orangutan, turns 38 today! A perfect mother & an incredible ambassador for her species, she inspires us daily. Join us in celebrating this amazing lady by dropping a 🦧 in the replies! #HappyBirthdayMarkisa #ComoZoo #SumatranOrangutan

🎉🦁 Happy 9th Birthday to Mumford, our big, strong, and incredibly handsome lion! Since joining us in 2019 from the @PuebloZoo, he's become a visitor favorite with his majestic roar echoing across Como. Stop by and celebrate with him today! 🦁💛 #HappyBirthdayMumford #ComoZoo

Santa didn’t stand a chance! 🎁 🐻‍❄️ 📷: Zookeeper Allison

Neil, Nan, and Kulu enjoying some pre-holiday festivities! 📷: Zookeepers Kelley and Elisabet

Could he be any more handsome?! #Caturday 📷: Zookeeper Jill

Mid-week slump? Marisa the tiger cub is here to make you smile! 🐯✨While the cubs are behind the scenes, warm up in our Tropical Encounters exhibit 10-4 daily. 🌿 #ComoZoo #MyMMC

North America’s oldest male polar bear, Neil, turned 29 on Dec. 9, while Nan celebrated her 30th, tying as one of the oldest females! Their party included cupcakes, decorated barrels, and fun. 5yo Kulu kept the party going, playing with the barrels! 🎉 fox9.com/video/1559341

Vamos, @RafaelNadal!   As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.   Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.   I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear... All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.   And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.    OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.   We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.   I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.   I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.   And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.   Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.   Rafa that!   Best always, your fan, 
 Roger

Zahra and Beebs @DodgerAmes 📸 @sukiyaki_beef A fun day with friends at the zoo!

🥒 Happy (belated) National Pickle Day! Yesterday, Kulu the polar bear celebrated with a giant pickle! Watch him play, splash, and tumble with his new enrichment toy in this video that’s sure to dill-light your day! #PolarBearPlay #PickleDay #ComoZoo 📷: Zookeeper Kelley

For her. For all our daughters and sons. For America. 🇺🇸

Retweet if you’re a Catholic supporting @KamalaHarris to be the 47th president of the United States.

🎉 Happy 39th Birthday to Schroeder, our gentle giant silverback! 🎂 Don’t let his “grumpy” look fool you—that’s just his relaxed face! Here’s to a day full of treats for Como’s calmest, biggest gorilla. 🖤 #HappyBirthdaySchroeder #ComoZoo #GentleGiant 🦍

Today marks 22 years since we lost Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, and dedicated members of his campaign team in a tragic crash. Decades later, his timeless motto that "We all do better when we all do better" is still our party's North Star.

Twenty-two years ago, we lost some dear friends - Paul & Sheila Wellstone, their daughter Marcia, and extraordinary staffers Mary, Tom, and Will. Today serves as a reminder of the legacy he left behind, "We all do better when we all do better."

#MnOTD is a sad one. It was on this date in 2002, a week and a half before the election, when Mn. US Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife and daughter, two campaign workers and the pilots were all killed when their small plane crashed in the woods near Eveleth.

Nyati’s growing up and becoming a confident young gorilla! At 7 years old, she still prefers to hang close to her dad, Schroeder, but can also be seen playing with sister Arlene and foraging through their habitat on her own looking for snacks or a nice place to rest in the sun!

Auntie Laurie Thompson and Dr. James Steeil got to see Bei Bei in China! Per Laurie, “he looks amazing, and he is so confident and so handsome." ❤️ @BeiBeiPanda3 @BaoLiPanda @qingbaopandadc @NationalZoo #DCPandas washingtonian.com/2024/10/16…

🐯✨ Big news! Our tiger cubs have names—meet Marisa(spirited and tenacious) and Maks (strength and leadership)! Huge thanks to our amazing long-time volunteers who helped name them. 🧡🐾#ComoZoo! #TigerCubs #MarisaAndMaks #Conservation Read more here: comozooconservatory.org/amur…