News

• Red panda, Rusty, continues to do well and Zoo veterinarians have confirmed that he is in good health following his rabies booster vaccination. He will remain at the hospital, but Animal Care staff hopes to return Rusty to his enclosure by July 4.
• A multi-disciplinary team of Zoo experts, led by...

Bozie, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant, made her debut in the Elephant Community Center today. She arrived at the Zoo on May 22 and spent 30 days in quarantine per standard procedure. Introductions between Bozie and her two female companions—Ambika (65) and Shanthi (38)—continue to go well...

The popular Pizza Playground at the Smithsonian's National Zoo has a new recipe thanks to a $110,000 donation from Ledo Pizza and donations from Friends of the National Zoo. The new playground, which has been closed for the past several weeks for renovation, will reopen to the public June 29 at noon...

The onset of summer for animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., means patiently awaiting endangered-animal births, hand-raising youngsters and saying farewell to cubs that are ready to be matched with mates. This year, SCBI-Front Royal celebrated its...

The daring and adventurous sloth bear cub, Hank, made his public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo today. He is the first sloth bear born at the Zoo in seven years. Born December 19, 2012, Hank and his mother Hana have spent the past six months in a den near the Asia Trail exhibit. Now that he...

The daring and adventurous sloth bear cub, Hank, made his public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo today. He is the first sloth bear born at the Zoo in seven years. Born Dec. 19, 2012, Hank and his mother, Hana, have spent the past six months in a den near the Asia Trail exhibit. Now that he...

The hottest tickets in town are to see cold-blooded animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Tickets are on sale for exclusive tours of the Zoo's Reptile Discovery Center. The tours include a guided stroll through the Reptile Discovery Center with a Zoo Salamander Ambassador filled with fun facts...

WHAT: Sloth bear cub, Hank, will make his media and public debut in his yard with mother Hana.

WHEN: Thursday, June 20, 9:30 a.m.—10:30 a.m.

WHO: Mindy Babitz, Asia Trail keeper, Smithsonian's National Zoo
Stacey Tabellario, Asia Trail keeper, Smithsonian's National Zoo

Tickets are now on sale for the annual Brew at the Zoo event, held on Thursday, July 11, 2013 from 6 to 9 p.m. Hosted by Friends of the National Zoo, the beer tasting fundraiser showcases craft and microbrewers from around the nation, all in support of wildlife conservation. Being able to taste over...

Our fishing cat kitten, born May 17, is growing fast! The kitten and its mother Electra are bonding in an off-exhibit area. Keepers have been monitoring the pair closely. A few days ago, Electra was comfortable with the keepers separating her and her kitten for a few moments while they weighed—750...

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This gives us the opportunity to catch up on some much...

This week's giant panda update, written by keeper Marty Dearie, details how he and other keepers work with Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on training behaviors behind-the-scenes at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.

How do you draw a blood sample from a giant panda? If the panda is Mei...

Animal care staff at the National Zoo welcomed a new resident to Elephant Trails May 22--Bozie, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant. She arrived safely at approximately 3:30 p.m. and is now in quarantine for approximately 30 days. Along with Elephant Manager Marie Galloway, Zoo Veterinarian Nancy...

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Some of the most amazing and rarest wildlife on the planet lives in the arid Sahelo-Sahara region of Africa. An enormous band of land, crossing Africa from east to west, this area incorporates the great Sahara Desert and the Sahel grasslands that border it.

The...

At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, the seals of American Trail are ready to splash down and make their big debut! To help the marine mammals acclimate to their new surroundings, animal care staff added 24,000 pounds of salt to the 125,000 gallon pool last week. Yesterday, three gray seals—Gunther...

The Andean Bear exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Zoo will be double the fun when twin cubs make their debut Saturday, May 11. The male and female cubs, named Curt and Nicole, were born at the Zoo Dec. 14, 2012, and are significant births for the population of Andean bears in human care. They...