Latest Panda News
Mar. 16, 2020
Happy national panda day! Here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asia Trail exhibit, we are celebrating with giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, as well as our red panda pair, Asa and Jackie. We l... read more
Mar. 10, 2020
You may not like needles or giving blood when you go to the doctor’s office, but did you know that blood is an important diagnostic tool for veterinarians? When an animal is feeling sick, one of the v... read more
Feb. 28, 2020
Add a little sunshine to a gray winter day with a trip to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. There’s still plenty to see from December through March. This guide will help you plan for a cold-weather visi... read more
Jan. 14, 2020
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have been having some adventures around the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat! Keepers have been utilizing the extra space in the giant panda habitats to switch ou... read more
Dec. 26, 2019
Saving species is what we strive to do every day here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. As the year winds down, we’re reflecting on some of our biggest conservation... read more
Nov. 27, 2019
Bei Bei is settling in at his new home in China at the Bifengxia panda base. He did really well on the FedEx Panda Express and mostly ate and slept during the 16-hour trip. Laurie Thompson, assi... read more
Nov. 19, 2019
Video
Bei Bei (BAY-BAY), the 4-year-old giant panda, began his journey to China this morning. He departed the Smithsonian’s National Zoo at 9:30 a.m. for Dulles International Airport in northern Vi... read more
Nov. 08, 2019
Giant panda Bei Bei knows how to work his angles! Check out some of our favorite snaps of this remarkably photogenic bear from the past four years.
Nov. 07, 2019
WHAT:
Giant panda Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) will leave the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and travel aboard the FedEx Panda Express for his new home in China. There will be two media opportunities:
Zoo:... read more
Oct. 18, 2019
Giant panda Bei Bei will depart the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for China Tuesday, Nov. 19. As part of the Zoo’s cooperative breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, all cub... read more
Oct. 18, 2019
Why is Bei Bei leaving the Smithsonian’s National Zoo?
As part of the cooperative breeding program with the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) that the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Co... read more
Sep. 11, 2019
Reproductive scientists, veterinarians and animal keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute have determined that giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) will not give birt... read more
Aug. 20, 2019
WHAT: Giant panda Bei Bei will receive a panda-friendly frozen cake specially made by the Zoo’s Department of Nutrition Science. ... read more
Aug. 20, 2019
By the end of August Bei Bei will be another year older! He will receive a panda-friendly frozen cake specially made by the Zoo’s Department of Nutrition Science the morning of Aug. 22 at 9 a.m.... read more
Aug. 07, 2019
Our scientists, veterinarians and keepers have been monitoring Mei Xiang closely for the past several months to determine if she is pregnant or experiencing a pseudopregnancy. They will have their ans... read more
Jul. 17, 2019
During the past several weeks, Bei Bei has been experiencing some gastrointestinal discomfort which has caused him to pass several mucous stools and loose stools. Mucous stools are the consistency of... read more
Jul. 12, 2019
We are still waiting to find out if giant panda Mei Xiang is pregnant or not! She has not started exhibiting many behaviors associated with the secondary hormone rise of a pregnancy or pseudopregnancy... read more
May. 20, 2019
Roughly a month and a half after Mei Xiang’s artificial insemination, things at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat are settling into their regular routine. For the pandas that means ba... read more
May. 14, 2019
Listed below are events being held June through August as part of the “Dino Summer” experience at Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
What: ... read more
Mar. 29, 2019
A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang (m... read more
Mar. 21, 2019
On March 15, Mei Xiang started exhibiting behavioral signs that breeding season is approaching! A urinary hormone analysis confirmed that her change in behavior was due to her rising estrogen levels,... read more
Mar. 01, 2019
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo was created in 1889 and opened its doors in 1891. To celebrate its 130th anniversary, look back at how the Zoo has evolved through the years – from just 15 species on th... read more