News Archive

Western lowland gorilla Baraka is serious about food. When primate keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo noticed he wasn't eating his meals, they wondered if his change in appetite masked something more serious. Go behind-the-scenes and see how staff cared for the Zoo's silverback!

Oct. 24 is International Gibbon Day, so take a few minutes to learn all about these acrobatic apes.

Sept. 24 is World Gorilla Day, and we are celebrating with an update on our 2-year-old, Moke, and his troop! 

It’s hard to believe that we are already celebrating our youngest Bornean orangutan’s fourth birthday! Catch up on the latest Redd news from primate keeper Erin Stromberg. 

As our young Bornean orangutan nears his fourth birthday, primate keeper Erin Stromberg reflects on how his relationships with the adults in his social network have blossomed over the last year. 

For the past two years, the primate team has had the privilege of sharing the story of our western lowland gorilla infant, Moke, with Smithsonian’s National Zoo fans all over the world. With Mother’s Day coming up May 10, primate keeper Carolina Powell highlights Moke’s very first friend—his mom...

As the primate team celebrates Moke's second birthday, keeper Alex Reddy reflects on the western lowland gorilla's growing independence, bold personality and training triumphs. 

From flamingo courtships to weekly weigh-ins for the African lions, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is buzzing with beastly activity behind the scenes! 

Primate keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Sydney, a white-cheeked gibbon who was humanely euthanized Feb. 4. He was 20 years old.

Moke may just be a few months shy of turning 2-years-old, but our young western lowland gorilla has quite an independent personality! Last autumn, he mastered voluntary injection training. 

Swing into the new year with an animal that knows a thing or two about swinging: gibbons! Get to know Sydney, Ronnie and Bradley from primate keeper Carly Hornberger.

How do you get an orangutan to sit still for an electrocardiogram? All it takes is a little patience and a lot of ingenuity! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s positive reinforcement training program enables primates to voluntarily participate in their own medical care without the need for anesthesia...

Catch the latest news about our 1.5-year-old western lowland gorilla, Moke, from primate keeper Carolina Powell. 

As Bornean orangutan Redd turns 3 years old, primate keeper Erin Stromberg reflects on his exciting year. 

As two orangutan infants tussled in the trees, curator of primates Meredith Bastian and primate keeper Alex Reddy looked on in awe. Over the summer, they traveled to Central Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo to follow these great apes in their native habitat.

Primate keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Flare, an elderly red-fronted lemur who was humanely euthanized Aug. 6. At 33 years old, she was one of the oldest red-fronted lemurs in North America. The median life expectancy for this species is about 22 years for both...

Western lowland gorilla infant Moke is becoming bolder, and with his growing confidence, we are beginning to see traces of his mom’s personality, says assistant curator Becky Malinsky. 

Treat dad like the king (of the jungle) he is at the Smithsonian's National Zoo!

With two youngsters, Moke and Redd, growing up at the Great Ape House, primate staff are taking the rare opportunity to study the gestures and spatial proximity between gorilla and orangutan mother-infant dyads.

Over the winter, Bornean orangutan Redd learned some new husbandry behaviors! Read the latest #OrangutanStory from primate keeper Erin Stromberg. 

Two peanuts sit on a tray. One is beneath the curve of a tool; the other is beside a different tool, out of reach. Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Allen’s swamp monkey Nub Armstrong is eyeing both. Will he pick the tool that brings the peanut toward him? To examine whether guenons understand how tools...

It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the day that Moke, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo's infant western lowland gorilla, was born. In the blink of an eye, he has grown from a fragile newborn to a rambunctious youngster.

Lemurs like to do more than move it, move it. At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, these primates party! Every April, animal keepers throw a big birthday bash for the Zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs, black-and-white ruffed lemurs and red-fronted lemur to raise awareness about these critically endangered...

Get the scoop on the reunion between western lowland gorilla infant Moke and his troop from Becky Malinsky, assistant curator of Primates. 

Let’s play a game…for science! With a tap of the touch-screen computer, orangutans at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo try their memories at matching pictures. These games help scientists study the apes’ metacognition.