by William Neikirk

One of Washington's most popular places is the National Zoo. Just a few decades ago, the zoo emphasized Smokey the Bear as a national symbol of conservation, but not so much anymore.

Today, the giant panda from China is its No. 1 attraction. It brings the biggest crowds and makes up the biggest display of stuffed toys in the gift shop. It is sweet and cuddly and reminds of the need to keep our principal world banker very happy. We have gone from stressing conservation to stressing economics.

The zoo is so Washington. The animals are mostly lethargic during the day, but on occasion will put on a show when the contributors show up, just like the politicians do here. In this case, that would be the people who feed and support them. When I saw the hippo, somehow I was reminded of campaign contributions.

The hippo may be the king of the water... Photo by Bill Neikirk.

...But the panda cubs are box office. Photo by Mark Silva.

The hippo was submerged in a giant tank of water when we got there, but soon a ripple appeared on the surface when the feeder arrived. Then the head up came up, and the crowd squealed about how big he was and how fat and happy he seemed. He appeared to have a smile on his face. He docilely climbed into his cage to collect.

The alligator was sunning when we arrived and for the longest time didn't move a muscle. Suddenly, perhaps a movement by the crowed, something caused him to spring into action and he jumped in the water, and then showed us his threatening eyes. He was ready to pounce, like one of those campaign consultants here who deal in attack-dog commercials.

I thought of Asia when the giant orangutans began swinging overhead on the zoo's special system of towers and ropes. It is very neat to see how the zoo has provided some semblance of what it's like to be in the wild. They seemed to happy to entertain us.

Quickly I thought of those who hold us in utter contempt when I saw how one behaved. He stopped on the rope above a crowded sidewalk to relieve himself, causing a quick scramble among the visitors. Was he part of a secret cell of al Qaeda?

My granddaughter wanted to see the cheetahs, that speedy cat that can run up to 45 miles per hour (according to the display out front). She was very excited when we arrived at the cheetah compound. At first, there was none in sight. We walked around the loop and finally saw two of them.

One was resting, not making a move, while the other was rolling around on his (or her) back. How disappointing it was. It was sort of like watching Congress in action.