Like such frivolities as the EPA, the National Institutes of Health, and programs that allow economically disadvantaged women to feed their babies, the National Zoo is considered “nonessential” during this government shutdown — which means desk jockeys who’ve grown dependent on the zoo’s pandacam are fiending hardcore. What to do when you can’t watch the baby panda bounce around? Well, you could get angry and start making calls to Republican members of Congress, calling on them to stop acting like whiny babypeople. Or you could just watch TIME Magazine’s substitute cam until someone else sorts this all out.
TIME Newsfeed writes: “We set up a panda on a stool in our office, and he will be continuously hugged, fed fake bamboo and forced to transcribe interviews throughout the day.” If you’ve got more ideas for what the panda should get up to, you can try tweeting them at @timenewsfeed — I’m not sure if they’ll use your suggestions, but you’ve got a better shot with them than with Tian Tian.
