Giant panda toddler and style icon Bei Bei has a decorating tip for any summertime bae whose favorite fainting couch has seen better days.
All you need to achieve this bamboo look in your own living enclosure is some spare fire hose, the ability to weld, and the patience to weave. Easy! (Thought welding on a day with a 107 degree heat index … not ideal.)
Now that the nearly-three-year old panda has reached 215 pounds, the National Zoo decided to upgrade his hammock situation. The new one is large enough to accomodate fully grown pandas, in case his mom, Mei Xiang, decides to pop by for a lounge, and so he can keep hanging out until he decamps for China next year.
Bei Bei was munching on some bamboo in the yard when keepers replaced his old hammock with the new, larger version. It took less than a day to get used to the new furniture.
He’s not the only panda with an upgrade—his dad, Tian Tian, got one, too. It’s closer to the ground than Bei Bei’s, because Tian Tian has arthritis and this’ll make it easier for him to climb up and down the furniture.
Mei Xiang’s living enclosure hasn’t gotten its own makeover, but there’s good reason for that—she may be pregnant. The panda house is closed to prevent disturbances to Mei Xiang, who has been spending her time sleeping and building nests.
Rachel Kurzius