Having a “Rip-roaring” time at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park- Washington, DC

Having a “Rip-roaring” time at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park - Washington, DC, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

I finally made it out to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, or commonly known as the National Zoo, when I was in Washington, DC a couple of weeks ago. Since it is part of the Smithsonian Institute admission is free compliments of the U.S. taxpayer.

The National Zoo is famous for their giant pandas that were lent by China as part of the “panda diplomacy” in the 1970s. They are one of the few zoos in the country that have them in captivity. The crowds were too large that day to get a decent shot of the pandas, but I am fortunate that the San Diego Zoo is one of the other few zoos in America that have the giant pandas, so I can always photograph them at my leisure.

As a result, I left the crowds there and headed over to the big cats and caught this male lion begging for some dental floss.

So what is your favorite zoo?