As snow descended on the U.S. capital, giant panda Bao Bao of the Smithsonian National Zoo had a day out -- rolling down a wintry slope, toying with a twig -- her first encounter with snow since she was born a year and four months ago.

A clip of Bao Bao's snow day attracted millions of Youtube views and tweets from legions of followers around the world.

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Bao Bao was having such a blast in the snow, zoo senior scientist Don Moore who is more partial to polar bears, told National Geographic that the young panda was just too adorable not to share the footage on social media. He said winter is a great time for giant pandas because they are equipped for cold weather - with their thick hairy coat and a big fat layer - the same frigid conditions in their natural habitat in central China's highlands.

Panda-keeper Nicole MacCorkle agrees winter is the pandas' kind of weather. Although they have to conserve energy due to a limited bamboo diet, MacCorkle says when the bears see the snow they just can't help it. She said Bao Bao's snow tumble is part of an instinct to play.

Preparing zoos to simulate the weather that animals thrive in is no small matter. What happens to the pandas during Washington, D.C.'s notoriously hot summers?

The National Zoo provides animals with choices, Moore said. They can move indoors to get out of the cold or the heat. Pandas are used to temperate lowlands and cold alpine weather, but zoo dwellers in D.C. usually stay air-conditioned quarters just like humans.

Pandas get more pampering with a water pool, ice blocks and a cool rock. The facility has pipes, which carries cool water. If that is not enough, automated sprays mists water to keep the heat down.

For animals that are used to warm environments, such as birds from the topics, zoos provide heat lamps that keep the animals cozy.

U.S. zoos consider an animal's natural climate before it is taken to an institution, said Moore. Facilities in the north end up with more animals that love frigid conditions such as Siberian tigers while the National Zoo and others nearer the equator is often home to Sumatran tigers or similar species used to the heat.

TagsPanda Bao Bao, Smithsonian National Zoo