THE DAILY WIRE · CHINA · 2026-09-17
Beijing Zoo Files Its Animals Under 'Preventative Custody'
As typhoon-related floodwaters rose in China this week, zookeepers reached for the one crowd-control method that predates modern architecture entirely: locking everybody in a cage until the weather calmed down.
According to the report, staff at the facility secured animals in their enclosures specifically to prevent them from escaping as the waters climbed, a precaution the zoo credits with keeping the situation contained.
This is, notably, the rare zoo-cage story in this reporter's beat that ends with the animals safer for having been confined rather than the reverse, a plot twist this desk intends to note for the record.
Webster obtained comment from Xiao Hu, a panda at the facility who experienced the flood lockdown firsthand, for an eyewitness account of conditions inside during the storm. Her recollection of the evacuation protocol differs from the press release.
No animals were reported harmed, and the floodwaters have since receded. Spun and done.
“Being locked in for my own safety during a flood is honestly just Tuesday for a panda who already gets scheduled naps and room service bamboo. The humans finally did something useful with a cage for once.” — Xiao Hu, zoo panda
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