It's been a week of serious news from the inauguration to the Women's March to the the mayor threatening to sue the federal government over President Donald Trump's immigration orders.
To help lighten the mood a bit, the city's zoos are flooding our Twitter feeds in a fight over who has the cutest baby animal photos.
The furry, fluffy, squee-worthy social media war with zoos nationwide started with a tweet from the Smithsonian National Zoo about the birth of a gray seal pup.
We welcomed a gray seal pup Jan. 21. The pup appears to be nursing, moving & bonding well w/ mom. https://t.co/l0Bzu7g8ek #Squee pic.twitter.com/nEhuJe6vBk
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) January 25, 2017
A Virginia-native is credited with sparking the cute animal debate by challenging the Virginia Aquarium to one-up the National Zoo.
Your move @VAAquarium ;-) https://t.co/lhBwalpprO
— Sarah Hill (@SarahJanetHill) January 25, 2017
The aquarium rose to the challenge with a one-two punch of an otter and an osprey maybe becoming interspecies best friends.
@SarahJanetHill #challengeaccepted We see @NationalZoo 's seal pup, and raise an otter/osprey combo. pic.twitter.com/D9zDWXxuDb
— Virginia Aquarium (@VAAquarium) January 25, 2017
Not to be outdone, New York's zoos soon jumped into the #cuteanimaltweetoff fray. Here's what they hit back with: