US national zoo holds housewarming event at giant panda house

WASHINGTON - The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington DC held a housewarming event inside the giant panda house on Saturday to celebrate the completion of a new visitor exhibit.

The celebration featured frozen treats for giant pandas and red pandas, as well as interactive games and activities for visitors.

The new exhibit, according to the zoo, teaches visitors about the ecology, history, reproduction, conservation and care of giant pandas and enables them to learn about these unique bears and their natural habitat.

It also chronicles "the advances that panda scientists in China and at the Smithsonian have made during the past four decades."

"So much has changed for giant pandas, for the better, in the past decade," Steven Monfort, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, said in a statement.

"This updated exhibit is really inspiring because it shows how much of a difference we can make with science and cooperation," he said, noting that "Smithsonian and Chinese scientists have been collaborating for decades, and visitors can see the results of our work as they walk through the panda house."