News

Thank you Kris for that very kind introduction. I want to add my thanks for all the work of outgoing Board Members Amos Morris and Lynn Clements and previous Board Chair Dennis Pate; I have learned much from of you, and it has been an honor to serve with you. I want to give my personal thanks to our...

Over Labor Day weekend, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released excellent news about its Red List of Threatened Species. It upgraded the giant panda from "endangered" to "vulnerable." The latest giant panda census counted more than 1,800 in the wild -- nearly double the...

Ever since 41-year-old Asian elephant Shanthi was diagnosed with arthritis in her front wrists more than a decade ago, animal care staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have been working to minimize the impact of the disease. Staff surmised that arthritic pain led Shanthi to bear weight on her...

Keepers at the Reptile Discovery Center, including animal keeper Lauren Augustine, are upholding that proud tradition with ground-breaking research on social behavior, reproduction and play in a species not typically associated with any of those words: a crocodile.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists, as part of a team of international researchers, have shed light on the genetics of the pangolin, a mammalian mystery.

Visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo can view 2-month-old female sea lion Catalina making a splash on American Trail. Born June 26, Catalina is the first sea lion pup born at the Zoo in 32 years. Since Aug. 22, she has been slowly acclimating to the exhibit and exploring alongside 11-year-old...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is home to a new male Sumatran tiger. Sparky is acclimating to his new home and can be seen at the Great Cats Exhibit. The 12-year-old tiger came to the Zoo on a breeding recommendation from the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan. Sparky has never sired a litter of...

Thirty years after the scimitar-horned oryx were driven to extinction, the desert antelope will return to the last-known place it existed: Chad's Sahelian grasslands. The reintroduction--the culmination of decades of work--is being led by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), the government of...

WHAT: A traditional Zhuazhou ceremony for giant panda cub Bei Bei. ( Media opportunity only. Not open to the public. Public celebration for Bei Bei, Bao Bao and Tian Tian's birthday begins at 11 a.m.) WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Zhuazhou ceremony 1 p.m.: Giant pandas receive frozen...

Two red pandas died at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute on consecutive days, July 24 and 25. The initial necropsy results and investigation do not reveal an obvious cause of death nor do the results link the deaths. The two male red pandas, along with the rest of the collection, were...

What is it like to see a gorilla in the wild? Get a glimpse of gorillas on their own turf, thanks to our Gabon Biodiversity Program (GBP). In Gabon’s National Park, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists have teamed up with local experts to habituate western lowland gorillas to...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) hatched its first hooded crane chick June 14. The chick was born as the result of artificial insemination. The chick is being raised by its parents and appears to be doing well. This is the first chick for Tempest (female) and Mr. Crane (male)...

For the first time in more than 15 years, zebras will graze the fields at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Va. Three Hartmann's mountain zebras—two females (Yvonne and Xolani) and one male (Raylan)—came out of quarantine last week at SCBI. The Association of Zoos...

Surveys have been conducted at Hubbard Brook since 1999 to better understand how birds respond to a changing environment.

Born in Sri Lanka around 1975, Asian elephant Shanthi developed arthritis in her front-left leg more than a decade ago. While there is no cure for arthritis, there are ways to alleviate the symptoms, and our animal care experts have focused on her comfort. We'll be posting the latest information on...

Bird House keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are celebrating the arrival of a Stanley crane chick, hatched July 10 to the Zoo's 27-year-old female and 17-year-old male. Animal care staff are monitoring the chick closely and report that it appears to be alert and strong, and the parents are...

What affects an elephant’s ability to get pregnant? Scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) set out to solve that mystery. With help from peers across North American zoos, they evaluated elephant hormones to learn how body weight, socialization and life events affected...

Nearly one-third of all amphibian species globally are at risk of going extinct. While the global amphibian crisis is the result of habitat loss, climate change and pollution, the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus plays a large role in the frogs' disappearances. In the fight for frogs, Smithsonian...

What happens when a species is restored to its rightful place in the wild? In the case of the scimitar-horned oryx, the answer to that question has been nearly 30 years in the making. Next month, 25 oryx will be released to a large reserve in Chad, a country where they have been extinct in the wild...

When it comes to choosing a location for a natural gas marine terminal, PERU LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) discovered that the options are not always black and white. When their construction site became the home of choice for Humboldt penguins, PERU LNG called upon the Smithsonian Conservation Biology...

For the first time, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)'s kiwi pair are parents! Keeper Wesley Bailey reveals how a strict diet helped dad Ngati Hine Tahi get in shape and resulted in the pair's first chick. This story appears in the July 2016 issue of Smithsonian Conservation...