News

Dr. Copper Aitken-Palmer is the lead veterinarian at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Department of Conservation Medicine. In the past few months she and other Zoo scientists have traveled to China for different giant panda conservation initatives. Below she writes about some of...

The eight-week-old Andean bear cubs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's received a clean bill of health today from the Zoo veterinarians. The veterinary team performed a complete physical exam Feb. 20, which included listening to the cubs' hearts and lungs; checking their mouth, eyes, legs, feet and...

Well the bad news is that Damai was not pregnant as a result of the single breeding during her last heat. The good news is Kavi and Damai have really improved their skill set when it comes to procreation! We had been keeping our fingers crossed after their last attempt but were not too disappointed...

Over the next few months we'll be bringing you giant panda updates that will focus on Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and the research Zoo scientists conduct related to giant pandas around the world. You'll be hearing from many different experts at the Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute...

Are bird bills simply for eating or do they play a role in mating?

We're so glad you're enjoying watching our bear cub cams, both Andean and sloth! We're thrilled to be able to share this experience with you. Very few people have ever gotten to observe maternal behavior and cub development in these early weeks and months in the den, so this experience is as...

It's clear from watching the Sloth Bear Cam that this little cub has a lot of personality—just like Hana! It's not unusual to see the two playing: she will roll on her back and hug the cub, paw at him/her, and exhibit a "play face" (her mouth is open and her lower lip is loose rather than taut). At...

Seven days and counting. . . If you're a panda fan or if you know a panda fan—we have the perfect Valentine's Day gift for you! Send a giant panda Critter Cupid — complete with a special video featuring Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and one of our panda keepers! In the video, Juan tells the story of Mei and...

This Valentine's Day, the Smithsonian's National Zoo is offering valentines a unique way to show their love for their family and friends. For less than a card and a box of chocolates ($10), anyone can send an electronic Critter Cupid to someone special in his or her life—a friend, child, parent...

The Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP) is dedicated to providing a healthy, genetically diverse and self-sustaining population of Western Lowland gorillas in zoos across the United States. One goal of the Gorilla SSP is to maintain gorillas in species typical groupings, either as a troop consisting...

Hana and the cub continue to do well! Keepers are seeing the cub sit up more but it still hasn't tried to climb onto Hana's back. Hana leaves the den more frequently and eats small snacks on a daily basis, but she still spends the majority of her time in the den with the cub. We occasionally see...

Mei Xiang's den has been transformed for the new breeding season! Observant panda cam viewers have no doubt seen the difference in the configuration of the barred barriers. By shifting the angle of the bars, keepers will be able to have more direct access to Mei Xiang and future cub(s) while they...

When great ape keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo were deciding how to add more variety and enrichment to their animals' lives, they turned to Orangutan Outreach and a program that had seen great success in 12 other zoos around the world: Apps for Apes. With the tap of a finger, keepers are...

Time flies: Our sloth bear cub is one month old today! Hana continues to be very attentive to him or her, and keepers are still monitoring the pair closely through their closed-circuit cam. Because the cub's dark hair is growing quickly, it's getting tougher to spot. (If it turns just so, the white...

One of the biggest questions scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) were working hand-in-hand with their colleagues in China to understand in the late 1990s was: why are pandas 'challenged' at reproducing? Almost a decade later, scientists are still answering questions...

Things in the lion house have been fairly quiet this winter. When temps drop to freezing, we usually let the lions decide where they want to play throughout the day. With the colder air moving into DC this January, the lions have been choosing to hang-out inside for much of the day. We do have a few...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is a global leader in brown kiwi conservation largely because of Animal Keeper Kathy Brader's efforts, and her devotion to this endangered species was honored recently by New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key. On Jan. 1, Key appointed Brader an Honorary Member of the...

As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have used genetic analysis to find that the...

As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have used genetic analysis to find that the...

As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have used genetic analysis to find that the...

If you have visited the Cheetah Conservation Station at the Smithsonian's National Zoo lately, you may have noticed new red river hog or sitatunga, and wondered: what are they? All your questions will be answered Jan. 11 at the special event, Teeming with Life: Bringing Gabon to the National Zoo...

Good news—Kavi and Damai have bred! While it is only once so far, it shows that Damai has overcome her understandable caution and that she trusts Kavi. In the last update we talked about how we were doing introductions even though Damai was no longer in heat. We feel that these "soft" intros really...

Do you wonder what the world looks like from an animal's point of view? While visiting a zoo, have you ever looked at an object placed in an exhibit, a log or toy, for instance, and wondered why it was there? An exhibit's design is carefully and deliberately planned, not only to ensure the comfort...

Forget two turtle doves—we've got two bearing bears! Our 18-year-old sloth bear Hana gave birth to a single cub around 8:30 a.m. on December 19, 2012—which happens to be her birthday, too! Animal care staff are keeping a close watch on the cub through a closed-circuit TV camera, and it appears both...

Check out these reindeer facts from Don Moore, an animal behaviorist, wildlife biologist and educator with the Smithsonian's National Zoo.