Latest Panda News
Oct. 15, 2018
Carve your Halloween pumpkin to look like giant panda Bei Bei today with this downloadable stencil!
Aug. 22, 2018
Giant panda Bei Bei celebrated his third birthday Aug. 22 with a special ice cake.
Aug. 22, 2018
Bei Bei turned 3 years old today! In celebration of his big day, Bei Bei enjoyed an ice-cake, participated in an enrichment painting session and received a new panda-friendly enrichment toy.
Jul. 05, 2018
A team of 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... read more
Jun. 29, 2018
The exhibits team built the hammocks from sturdy firehose and installed them. There has been a hammock in Bei Bei’s enclosure for several years, but it was starting to show some wear-and-tear as it’s... read more
Jun. 24, 2018
Beginning today, June 24, the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat will be closed to keep a quiet area around female giant panda Mei Xiang’s den.
Jun. 21, 2018
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 time sleepin... 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...
Jun. 01, 2018
It’s been almost three months since Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated. Keepers, veterinarians and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists have been monitoring her carefully ever sin... 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
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.
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!
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 items i... read more
Nov. 29, 2017
Bei Bei started showing signs of abdominal discomfort overnight Saturday, Nov. 25. As a result, the panda team began monitoring him closely. He passed a mucous stool on Sunday, Nov. 26, and began eati... 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.
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.
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
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.
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 celebrated his second birthday Aug. 22, with a panda friendly cake made by the Smithsonian's National Zoo's department of nutrition.
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
The Giant Panda Habitat will be partially 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 exhibiting ex... read more
Aug. 11, 2017
Veterinarians are giving Mei Xiang weekly ultrasounds to track changes in her uterus. Though it's too early to see a possible cub on an ultrasound, SCBI scientists detected a rise in hormones, indicat... 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