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Animal News

Bei Bei
Nov. 16, 2018
Three-year-old giant panda played and tumbled in the snow Thursday, Nov. 15. 
Gorilla Moke at 7 months old.
Nov. 16, 2018
What has 7-month-old western lowland gorilla Moke been up to? Read all about it in the latest keeper update! 
Bonnie and Redd orangutans wrestle in the Great Ape House.
Nov. 02, 2018
What sounds does an infant orangutan make? Primate keeper Erin Stromberg filmed the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s 2-year-old Bornean orangutan Redd as he pleaded with his mother to share her food. Get...
Dama gazelle calves Gustav (left) and Amaya (right) explore their habitat at the Cheetah Conservation Station.
Nov. 02, 2018
Cheetah Conservation Station keepers are celebrating a dama gazelle baby boom! Two young calves, Gustav and Amaya, recently made their debut. Learn all about the newest members of our herd from...
Western lowland gorilla Moke with blanket, 6 months old.
Nov. 02, 2018
Read the latest update on six-month-old western lowland gorilla infant Moke. 
a graphic image of a pumpkin carved with a giant panda face
Oct. 15, 2018
Carve your Halloween pumpkin to look like giant panda Bei Bei today with this downloadable stencil!
Western lowland gorilla infant Moke at 6 months.
Oct. 12, 2018
Moke is six months old and, for the first time, keepers observed him taking his first steps in the outdoor yard independent of his mother!
A screaming hairy armadillo pup in an incubator on a bed of towels.
Oct. 05, 2018
Watch a video and read the latest update on the screaming hairy armadillo pup born Aug. 8, 2018.
A hawk-headed parrot perched on a food tray
Oct. 05, 2018
Get to know the Zoo's hawk-headed parrot, Boomer, in this Q&A with animal keeper Hilary Colton.
5-month-old western lowland gorilla Moke sits in a pile of hay and eats leafy greens
Oct. 05, 2018
Read primate keeper Melba Brown's latest update on 5-month-old gorilla Moke.
bumble bee
Oct. 03, 2018
What are pollinators, and why do we need them? Read on to find out why pollinators are so important!
5-month-old Moke enjoys enrichment
Sep. 28, 2018
Five-month-old western lowland gorilla, Moke, has been spending some quality time with his father, says primate keeper Melba Brown. 
Western lowland gorilla Moke at 23 weeks old.
Sep. 21, 2018
Friends of the National Zoo volunteers are helping primate keepers monitor how our western lowland gorillas interact with one another, says primate keeper Melba Brown. 
5-month-old western lowland gorilla Moke
Sep. 14, 2018
Moke is 5 months old! Check out primate keeper Melba Brown's latest update on our western lowland gorillas. 
Moke enjoying an ice treat.
Sep. 07, 2018
Western lowland gorilla Moke celebrated his mom's birthday and is learning through play, says primate keeper Melba Brown. 
Cheetah cubs in their yard at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Sep. 06, 2018
The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's seven cubs are thriving! They received a clean bill of health at their first veterinary exam.
Sep. 05, 2018
Migratory bird conservation is taking flight at zoos and aquariums, according to a new paper published in Zoo Biology. The study outlines the role that Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited...
Gorilla Moke 20 weeks old
Aug. 31, 2018
Follow Primate Keeper Melba Brown's latest #GorillaStory update on 20-week-old western lowland gorilla Moke!
Orangutan Iris in a nest
Aug. 30, 2018
As the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s great apes prepare to go to sleep, they make their beds, then settle in. Just like their wild counterparts, orangutans in zoos build cozy nests.
Andean Bear Beorn
Aug. 30, 2018
During your next visit to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, look up—there may be a bear in the treetops! Beorn, a 1-year-old Andean bear, joined our Zoo family this summer.
A nearly hairless rodent, called a naked mole-rat, eating a piece of tomato
Aug. 29, 2018
If you think a blind, nearly hairless rodent that lives underground can’t get much stranger, then buckle up. There’s a lot more to these weird (and wonderful) rodents than meets the eye!
Western lowland gorilla Moke is 18 weeks old.
Aug. 24, 2018
Primate keeper Melba Brown says western lowland gorilla infant Moke's big (and often, humorous) personality is beginning to emerge. 
large hoofed animal with short curved horns and brown fur
Aug. 23, 2018
The iconic song of the American West, “Home on the Range,” got a key detail wrong — buffalo never roamed the region! But bison still do. Isn’t it time you learned why?
Bei Bei turns three years old.
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.
Moke looking at camera.
Aug. 17, 2018
In her latest update, primate keeper Melba Brown shares that 4-month-old Moke is embarking on a new era of discovery.