National Zoo Panda Cam Goes Dark During Government Shutdown

The National Zoo Panda Cam is shut down as a result of the government shutdown.

"The cams (incl. the panda cams) require federal resources, especially staff, to run. They have not been deemed essential during a #shutdown," the National Zoo tweeted Monday afternoon.

The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian group of museums and other facilities which are all 70 percent funded through federal funds. The zoo has 15 live webcams and among them are two panda cams which are very popular, CBS reports.

Thousands of visitors check out the cameras each day to see what female panda Mei Xiang and her new cub that was born on August 23 are up to. The cameras have gotten so popular that the website had to put a limit on viewing time.

Only four zoos, including the National Zoo, feature live panda cams and panda fans love to check them out, no matter how boring the pandas might be at the time.

Once fans found out about the panda cam shutdown, they took to social media to complain. "A world without the panda cam is a world without happiness," wrote Caitlin Bauer according to CBS.

One user had a great point when he said, "Why would you stop the panda cam? It costs nothing to keep running. Typical misuse of the public trust to make a political point."

The cameras don't seem to be funded through government money as they are sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund, under a two-year, $400,000 grant to study giant panda health. Much of the grants goes towards research but the cameras are also part of it, CBS reports.

"The new system will continuously record the pandas, allowing behavior research to continue even while researchers are not physically at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat, and enable virtual Zoo visitors to watch live video of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on any smart phone and tablet PC," Ford said in 2012.

The zoos cameras are also operated by volunteers. The Zoo deemed the cameras nonessential and only essential staff, mostly animal caretakers and security guards are allowed at the zoo during the shutdown. Non-essential staff, including volunteers were furloughed.

While the National Zoo panda cam is down, those at the Zoo Atlanta, the San Diego Zoo, and Memphis Zoo are still operational.