Latest Panda News
Jun. 24, 2018
Beginning today, June 24, the panda house will be closed to keep a quiet area around female giant panda Mei Xiang’s den. Although keepers are not able to confirm if she is pregnant, Mei Xiang is... read more
Jun. 21, 2018
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The panda team has started seeing more pronounced behavioral changes in Mei Xiang, which is normal and expected for a pregnant or pseudopregnant giant panda. Overall, she is spending more tim... read more
Jun. 01, 2018
In honor of the Washington, D.C. Capitals making the NHL finals, the Smithsonian's National Zoo's giant panda Tian Tian was given a special treat of a bamboo hockey stick, ice puck and a fruitsicle st... read more
Jun. 01, 2018
It’s been almost three months since Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated (AI). Keepers, veterinarians and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists have been monitoring her carefully eve... read more
Mar. 19, 2018
The beginning of March was a whirlwind at the Giant Panda Habitat. Mei Xiang finally went into peak estrus March 1 after the panda team had been monitoring her and Tian Tian 24-hours-a-day for nearly... read more
Mar. 01, 2018
Note: The Zoo’s giant panda team will be available for on-site interviews March 2 at 9:30 a.m. To RSVP, email murphyd@si.edu or zoonj@si.edu or call the Communications office beginning at 8 a.m. tomor... read more
Feb. 21, 2018
Keepers have noticed some dramatic changes in Mei Xiang and Tian Tian's behavior during the past several days. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Mei Xiang started showing behavioral changes that indicate she may... read more
Feb. 16, 2018
Giant panda Bei Bei celebrated the Lunar New Year with some special Year of the Dog enrichment!
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Dec. 19, 2017
As the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler, the pandas are spending more time in their yards. Panda keepers sometimes get asked by the visitors why we place the bamboo and enrichment it... read more
Nov. 29, 2017
Wednesday, Nov. 29
Bei Bei is bright and alert this morning and fully recovered from his veterinary exam yesterday, Nov. 28. Keepers monitored him overnight and offered him small amounts of bamboo,... read more
Nov. 15, 2017
Tian Tian had a preventative health exam yesterday. He was taken to the veterinary hospital, which allowed our veterinarians to get an up-close and in-depth look at him while he was under anesthesia.... read more
Sep. 14, 2017
The giant panda team at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has determined that Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) will not give birth this year.
The panda team has been monitorin... read more
Sep. 08, 2017
The panda team is still waiting to find out if Mei Xiang will give birth or if she is experiencing a pseudopregnancy. Giant pandas’ hormones and behavior mimic a pregnancy even if they are experiencin... read more
Sep. 01, 2017
Mei Xiang Update
The panda house is closed to the public beginning today, Sept. 1 to provide quiet for Mei Xiang as she enters the final stages of a pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. It is still too ea... read more
Aug. 25, 2017
Mei Xiang has started exhibiting more behaviors consistent with the secondary hormone phase of a pregnancy or a pseudopregnancy. That means that she has been spending the majority of her time sleeping... read more
Aug. 22, 2017
Giant panda Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) celebrated his second birthday Aug. 22, with a panda-friendly cake made by the department of nutrition at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The cake was made primarily of f... read more
Aug. 18, 2017
Beginning Aug. 18, the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat will be partially closed to keep a quiet area around panda Mei Xiang’s den. Although we are not able to confirm if she is pregnant... read more
Aug. 18, 2017
Beginning today, Aug. 18, the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat will be partially closed to keep a quiet area around female giant panda Mei Xiang’s den. Although keepers ar... read more
Aug. 11, 2017
Veterinarians have started giving Mei Xiang weekly ultrasounds. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Endocrine Lab have detected a rise in her hormones, which indicates that... read more
Aug. 04, 2017
Behavior can tell the giant panda team quite a bit about the pandas, but the behaviors they exhibit are only half the story. When it comes to predicting when Mei Xiang will give birth, or when she is... read more
Jul. 21, 2017
Activity at the giant panda habitat has slowed since the flurry of breeding season in May. Keepers, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists and veterinarians were monitoring Mei Xiang ve... read more
May. 26, 2017
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers performed two artificial inseminations on 18-year-old female giant... read more
May. 23, 2017
Mei Xiang, the Zoo’s 18-year-old female giant panda, is showing behavioral and physical signs of estrus. She has been increasingly restless lately and has been calling to the Zoo’s resident male, Tian... read more
May. 18, 2017
Bei Bei is a bit of a daredevil. Although eating and sleeping are still his favorite pastimes, the giant panda cub loves to climb trees. Lately, he has been climbing trees in his yard and sliding all... read more
Mar. 23, 2017
Bei Bei has adjusted very well to his new habitats and life on his own. He identified a tree that he likes to sleep in, and he’s been exploring his water moat. The moat is mostly empty right now but w... read more