SO THE US Government shutdown is still in full swing.

Thousands of federal employees remain furloughed, unable to work and not getting paid.

Meanwhile museums, national parks, government programmes, and even playgrounds are shut as workers stay at home.

Here are some of the images that have pulling on the heartstrings since the shutdown began on 1 October…

1. He just wanted to go to the zoo

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2. In space no one can hear you scream

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Gulp.

3. This man, Chris Cox from South Carolina, took it upon himself to mow and clean the grounds around the Lincoln Memorial.

He’s worked over 100 hours since he started last week.

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AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

4. Someone who was bursting was turned away from this Grand Canyon bathroom

Oh, the humanity.

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5. People wait between 2 and 17 years for a ‘river running’ permit

River runners from as far away as Austria set up camp near a Colorado River access point in Arizona.

They were hoping that the shutdown would end soon enough to open access to the river.

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

6. This is what you see when you try to access the panda cam at the National Zoo in Washington DC

How will we know if that pandas are doing gas things, or if the pandas are even still there?

7. Turning children away from playgrounds

Simon Carswell / @SiCarswell Simon Carswell / @SiCarswell / @SiCarswell

8. These workers from the Environmental Protection Agency are doing volunteer trail maintenance work

They’re not being paid.

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9. World War II veterans visit the war memorial in Washington despite the shutdown, in an act of ‘civil disobedience’

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Read: 13 things the West Wing taught us about shutting down the US government>

More: 5 of the best internet responses to the US government shutdown>