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News Archive 2011

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December

November

October

  • Call Issued to Save Wild Tigers from Extinction
    Project Predator, an initiative to protect and save the world’s last surviving wild tigers was unveiled today at the 80th INTERPOL General Assembly, a gathering of global law enforcement officials from the organization’s 190 member countries.
  • New Cornell-Smithsonian Joint Graduate Program Trains Future Wildlife Conservation Scientists
    To meet the global challenge of preserving biodiversity, Cornell University and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) have teamed up to offer a new shared graduate program that will train the next generation of wildlife conservation scientists.
  • New Genetic Evidence Confirms Coyote Migration Route to Virginia and Hybridization with Wolves
    Researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute used DNA from coyote scat (feces) to trace the route that led some of the animals to colonize in Northern Virginia. The researchers also confirmed that, along the way, the coyotes interbred with the native Great Lakes wolves.
  • Photo Release: Black-footed Ferret Kit at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Seeks a Name
    She is small, she is cute and she is a webcam star. But this little black-footed ferret, born April 15 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., does not have a name.
  • Scientists Determine Family Tree for Most-Endangered Bird Family in the World
    Using one of the largest DNA data sets for a group of birds and employing next-generation sequencing methods, Smithsonian scientists and collaborators have determined the evolutionary family tree for one of the most strikingly diverse and endangered bird families in the world, the Hawaiian honeycreepers.
  • Workshop Will Train Pathologists to Identify Animal Diseases Harmful to Humans
    Veterinary and pathology experts from the Smithsonian Institution, University of Illinois and the Wildlife Conservation Society will conduct a five-day training workshop for pathologists in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia on how to identify and investigate unknown diseases.
  • Photo Release: Naked Mole-Rat 20th Anniversary at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    Twenty years ago today, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo welcomed naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) into its collection. These rodents, which are more closely related to porcupines and guinea pigs than to their namesake, are one of only a handful of mammals that exhibit eusocial behavior.
  • Shop for the Holidays and Support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    This holiday season, shop at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for gifts your loved ones will give a hoot, whoop and roar about. Spot a great find for the animal person in your life during your next visit to the Zoo or online. By giving a Zoo gift, you are directly playing a part in conservation; all proceeds support animal care, science, research and sustainability at the Zoo.
  • Media Advisory: Celebrate a Safe and “Spook-tacular” Halloween Oct. 21-23 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    Rain or shine, celebrate Halloween at the National Zoo during the 13th annual Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 21-23, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.  Hosted by Friends of the National Zoo, Boo at the Zoo offers kids ages two to 12 a safe and family-friendly atmosphere to trick-or-treat at 40 treat stations, while enjoying animal demonstrations, meeting animal keepers, festive fall decorations, and so much more.

September

August

  • Smithsonian Scientists Confirm New Species of Seabird Discovered in the Hawaiian Islands
    For the first time in decades, researchers have found a new bird species in the United States. Based on a specimen collected in 1963 on Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, biologists have described a new species of seabird, Bryan’s shearwater (Puffinus bryani). Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute analyzed the specimen’s DNA to confirm that it is an entirely new species.
  • National Zoo Animals React to the Earthquake
    The vibrations from yesterday’s 5.8 earthquake were keenly felt at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park; all animals, staff and visitors were safe and no injuries were reported. Animal care staff noted changes in animal behavior both before and during the earthquake.
  • Major Elephant Cognition Study Comes Out
    On August 18, PLoS ONE published a significant paper about elephant cognition in which the National Zoo’s now 9-year-old elephant, Kandula, showed unparalleled problem-solving skills. Three of the five co-authors of the study, Insightful Problem Solving in an Asian Elephant, include Zoo staff.
  • Endangered River Turtle’s Genes Reveal Ancient Influence of Maya Indians
    A genetic study focusing on the Central American river turtle recently turned up surprising results for scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and collaborators involved in the conservation of this critically endangered species.
  • New Discovery Positions Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to Bolster Genetic Diversity Among Cheetahs
    Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have discovered why older female cheetahs are rarely able to reproduce—and hope to use this information to introduce vital new genes into the pool.
  • International Meeting on Malaria
    The Research Coordination Network for Haemosporidia of Terrestrial Vertebrates will hold a meeting to address various aspects of malaria and related blood-borne diseases in wildlife, including transmission dynamics, malaria parasites and their genomes, emerging infectious diseases and parasite ecology. Robert Fleischer of the National Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute will lead a presentation.

July

  • Red Panda Cubs Thriving at Smithsonian's National Zoo
    Two red panda cubs born at the National Zoo on June 17 received a clean bill of health during their first veterinary exam on July 28. They appear to be very healthy, strong, active and have good vocalizations. A Zoo veterinarian confirmed both cubs are female and are gaining weight steadily.
  • Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Front Royal Facility Celebrates Another Baby Boom
    The warm weather that heralds the onset of summer brought with it a baby boom at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. Red pandas, white-naped cranes, scimitar-horned oryxes, tufted deer, and clouded leopards all had recent births May 13 through the middle of July.
  • National Zoo’s Panda Cub Count: Red Pandas 4, Giant Panda 0
    Two red panda cubs were born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and two additional cubs were born at the Zoo’s facility in Front Royal, Va., bringing the total to four in 2011. Unfortunately, female giant panda Mei Xiang is not pregnant but was experiencing a pseudo, or false, pregnancy during the past several months.
  • It’s No Sweat for Salt Marsh Sparrows to Beat the Heat if They Have a Larger Bill
    Birds use their bills largely to forage and eat, and these behaviors strongly influence the shape and size of a bird’s bill. But the bill can play an important role in regulating the bird’s body temperature by acting as a radiator for excess heat.
  • State Farm Supports Kids’ Farm at the National Zoo
    A generous $1.4 million gift from State Farm Insurance to the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park guarantees that the Kids’ Farm exhibit will remain open for the next five years. The State Farm donation is the largest made to the Zoo since 2007.
  • Lesli Creedon Named Chief Advancement Officer of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    Lesli A. Creedon has been named chief advancement officer at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., effective July 18. As head of Advancement, Creedon will manage, plan and coordinate all fundraising activities and events of the Zoo, as well as oversee major gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations.
  • Five Cheetah Cubs Receive Clean Bill of Health After First Veterinary Exam
    The five cheetah cubs born May 28 at the National Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., are healthy and thriving, veterinarians reported after the cubs’ first exam on July 12. The six week-old cubs each weigh between 4 and 5 pounds and are growing quickly.
  • Top Reasons to Visit the National Zoo this Summer
    Summer has arrived and there are lots of changes, new residents and new opportunities at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. There are dozens of new reptiles and amphibians; crane, flamingo, and rhea chicks; a new Sumatran tiger; young lions; new Asian small-clawed otters, howler monkeys, and brown rats; and more!
  • National Zoo Celebrates Arrival of Whooping Crane
    After an 88-year-long hiatus North America’s tallest bird, the statuesque whooping crane, is once again on exhibit at the National Zoo's Bird House. An 11-year-old male whooping crane named Rocky left Homosassa Springs State Park in Florida and is now on exhibit in the nation’s capital.

June

May

  • New Tiger on the Prowl at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    The National Zoo’s great cat program has recently expanded with the arrival of 2 1/2-year-old female Sumatran tiger, Damai, who is now out of quarantine and spending time outside in her exhibit where visitors can see her. The Zoo plans to bring a male tiger in to breed with Damai later this year, as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Sumatran tigers.
  • Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to Help Create Frozen Repository for the Great Barrier Reef
    Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and partnering organizations will build a frozen repository of Great Barrier Reef coral sperm and embryonic cells. Researchers can thaw the frozen material one, 50 or, in theory, even 1,000 years from now to help restore a species or diversify a population. Done properly over time, samples of frozen material can be reared and placed back into ecosystems to infuse new genes into natural populations, thereby helping to enhance the health and viability of wild stocks.
  • Female Giant Panda’s Hormones on the Rise
    Scientists at the National Zoo have detected a secondary rise in urinary progesterone levels in the Zoo’s female giant panda Mei Xiang. This hormone rise indicates that it should be 40 to 50 days before Mei Xiang either gives birth to a cub or comes to the end of a pseudopregnancy, or false pregnancy, which is common in giant pandas.
  • Changes in Vegetation Determine How Animals Migrate, Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Find
    The predictability and scale of seasonal changes in a habitat help determine the distance migratory species move and whether the animals always travel together to the same place or independently to different locations, according to a paper published online in February in Global Ecology and Biogeography by the National Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute researchers and partners.
  • Ten Giant Clams Find a New Home at the National Zoo
    The National Zoo has welcomed several new additions to its Invertebrate Exhibit. Ten giant clams arrived in February from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and after several weeks in quarantine are now on exhibit in the coral tank. These giant clams are of the Tridacna crocea species, the smallest of the giant clam species, and can grow up to nine inches.

April

  • Easter Monday Statement from National Zoo Director Dennis Kelly
    An altercation broke out on Easter Monday, and a juvenile was stabbed. He fled our property and was later found on Connecticut Avenue where he was transferred to a hospital. Our Zoo Police in collaboration with Metropolitan Police are still investigating the incident.
  • Clouded Leopard Cubs Born at National Zoo’s Front Royal Campus
    A female clouded leopard at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., gave birth to a litter of two cubs on March 28. Two-year-old Sita gave birth to the first cub at 1:15 p.m. and the second cub at 1:25 p.m. The male cub weighed 9.48 ounces and the female cub weighed 7.76 ounces. This is the first litter for Sita and the father, 2-year-old Ta Moon.
  • Photo Release: National Zoo’s Giant Anteater Mother Chooses ‘Pablo’ as Her Pup’s Name
    The National Zoo’s newly-named giant anteater pup Pablo holds on tight as mom Maripi makes her decision. Maripi chose from the names Demetrio, Fausto and Pablo—the top three vote-getters from the Zoo’s website voting poll.

March

February

  • Candid Cameras Give a Chance to See Wildlife as a Scientist Does
    Smithsonian scientists use camera traps—automated cameras with motion sensors—to study animals in the wild. Smithsonian WILD collects these wildlife photos, more than 202,000 so far, and allows the public to see exactly what scientists see in their research: wildlife at close range, from the head-on stare of a jaguar in Peru to inside the mouth of a giant panda in China.
  • New Fishing Cat Debuts at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    The National Zoo has welcomed a new addition to Asia Trail. Lek, a 1-year-old male fishing cat from the Cincinnati Zoo, arrived in December and is now in his exhibit. Lek is set to breed with 6-year-old Electra, the Zoo’s only female fishing cat, who for now is in the enclosure next to him.
  • Georgetown Cupcake Bakes Special Cupcakes to Benefit the National Zoo; Gorillas’ Birthday Celebration Featured on TLC’s DC Cupcakes
    The National Zoo will be featured on the season two premiere of DC Cupcakes, airing Feb. 25 at 10:30 p.m. on TLC. In honor of the Zoo’s episode, Georgetown Cupcake will sell a honey-banana-flavored cupcake named “Gone Bananas!” and donate the entire proceeds to benefit the Zoo’s conservation programs.
  • National Zoo's Beloved Uncle Beazley Will Soon Get a Facelift
    The National Zoo’s “Uncle Beazley” is in need of a facelift. The life-size fiberglass triceratops was moved to the Smithsonian’s Office of Exhibits Central in Landover, Md., this morning to have his holes and cracks patched. He will also receive a new coat of UV- and weather-resistant paint.
  • Smithsonian’s National Zoo Mourns Loss of Female Kiwi
    The National Zoo’s youngest brown kiwi, Areta, died in the early morning of Feb. 14. She had not exhibited any warning signs of clinical illness. A full postmortem examination was conducted, and a final pathology report may provide more information in a few weeks.
  • 2011 Giant Panda Mating Season Begins at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
    The National Zoo’s giant panda mating season began with Mei Xiang and Tian Tian attempting to mate Jan. 29. Reproductive experts from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong and experts from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute will collaborate on the breeding plan for Mei Xiang and Tian Tian for 2011 and 2012.

January

  • Fun and Frisky Valentine-Themed Event at National Zoo
    Looking for the “wildest” way to celebrate Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank? Attend Woo at the Zoo on Friday, Feb. 11 for an opportunity to learn about animal mating, dating and reproductive habits in an honest and humorous forum.
  • Both Cheetah Cubs at the National Zoo Appear Healthy and Strong
    The two cheetah cubs born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in December received their first vaccinations on January 26. At about 8 weeks and 6 weeks old, both cubs appear to be healthy, Zoo veterinarians said after completing the cubs’ health exam.
  • Study States That Tiger Numbers Could Triple if Large-Scale Landscapes are Protected
    The tiger reserves of Asia could support more than 10,000 wild tigers—three times the current number—if they are managed as large-scale landscapes that allow for connectivity between core breeding sites, according to a new paper from scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and other world-leading conservation researchers.
  • New Giant Panda Agreement Is Signed for National Zoo
    The director of the National Zoo and the secretary general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association signed a new Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement, extending the Zoo’s giant panda program for five more years, further cementing the two countries’ commitment to the conservation of the species.
  • Photo Release: Anteater Pup Thriving at National Zoo
    The giant anteater born on Dec. 7 at the National Zoo is growing quickly and doing well. The male pup, yet to be named, is the third anteater to be born at the Zoo.
  • Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Leads Tiger Conservation Training Course in Thailand
    As the fate of tigers hangs in the balance, conservationists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and partnering organizations in the Global Tiger Initiative are launching a month-long course in Thailand aimed at teaching wildlife officers, field managers, and researchers from tiger-range countries best practices to bolster the animals’ numbers.
  • Elderly Bald Eagle Euthanized at National Zoo

    An elderly female bald eagle named Sam was euthanized Dec. 31 at the National Zoo. The bird was found lying in her exhibit Dec. 28 and was transported to the Zoo’s veterinary hospital for treatment. Although the eagle initially responded to medical treatment, her condition soon began to decline and she was humanely euthanized.

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