Wolverine Got to See the Baby Panda and You Didn’t

For the general population, it won’t be until January when we get a real-life glimpse at the National Zoo’s giant panda cub Bao Bao. But if you’re as famous as, say, a brooding superhero with retractable adamantium claws, then you can see the cub right now.

The actor Hugh Jackman, best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies, got to press his face against the glass of the enclosure where four-month-old Bao Bao and her mother, Mei Xiang, are currently being kept away from public view. Jackman was in DC yesterday to host the annual Christmas in Washington television special, and stopped by the zoo with his family. Jackman gloatingly uploaded a few photos of himself in front of Mei Xiang and Bao Bao.

That’s how the zoo rolls, apparently. Wolverine gets to see the panda, while the rest of us schlubs are stuck with the panda cam for another month.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.