I think you misheard. The panda web camera feed will be shut down. Pretty sure they'll still feed the little critter... http://jezebel.com/government-shutdown-might-kill-an-adorabl...
We're contractually obliged to China to feed pandas in the National Zoo — if a panda dies due to American misconduct, we have to pay them $800,000. See http://qr.ae/N5H14 // http://web.mit.edu/mherdeg/Public/smithsonian-panda-agreemen... .
I'm not sure how feeding the other zoo animals would qualify as "essential", but for pandas there are diplomatic (and monetary!) concerns.
We're contractually obliged to China to feed pandas in the National Zoo — if a panda dies due to American misconduct, we have to pay them $800,000. See http://qr.ae/N5H14 // http://web.mit.edu/mherdeg/Public/smithsonian-panda-agreemen... .
I'm not sure how feeding the other zoo animals would qualify as "essential", but for pandas there are diplomatic (and monetary!) concerns.