Less than a week after the National Gallery of Art announced its temporary closure due to the ongoing US government shutdown, the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, centers, and the National Zoo followed suit, officially closing to the public on Sunday, October 12. The Smithsonian warned that the closures would ensue after it used prior-year funding to keep doors open as long as possible. Assuaging the most pressing of worries, the Smithsonian’s closure announcement outlined that the animals at its National Zoo and the Conservation Biology Institute would continue to be fed and cared for. But while Qing Bao the giant panda still gets her daily spread of bamboo (though off-camera for now), non-exempted government employees at the Smithsonian museums and research centers are expected to be furloughed. To read the full story by rhea.nayyar, visit the link in bio. . . . Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images #GovernmentShutdown #Smithsonian #NationalZoo