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Animal News

two cheetah cubs with their eyes closed lay in hay
Mar. 30, 2020
A special delivery of cheetah milk recently arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's milk bank (the largest milk repository in the world). Find out what researchers hope to learn from this unique...
Asian elephant Ambika at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Elephant Trails habitat in 2016.
Mar. 28, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo community is mourning the loss of Ambika, the beloved eldest member of its Asian elephant herd. She was humanely euthanized yesterday, March 27, following a recent and...
Cheetah Miti and her cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in 2018.
Mar. 24, 2020
Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are mourning the loss of two rare species—a cheetah and an Eld’s deer.
giant panda eating bamboo
Mar. 23, 2020
A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang, March 22, at 9:45 a.m.  
Kiwi at SCBI
Mar. 20, 2020
Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are mourning the loss of two kiwi.
Female giant panda Mei Xiang surveys her yard at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.
Mar. 16, 2020
Happy national panda day! Here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asia Trail exhibit, we are celebrating with giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, as well as our red panda pair, Asa and Jackie.
Mar. 13, 2020
All Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, continue to be closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Giant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base
Mar. 10, 2020
You may not like needles or giving blood when you go to the doctor’s office, but did you know that blood is an important diagnostic tool for veterinarians? When an animal is feeling sick, obtaining a...
Three eggs sit in individual dry-grass nests. One looks like feathers, the other like the earth and the third one looks like a tiger's stripes. The words "Easter Monday and Earth Optimism" are at the top.
Mar. 10, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is hosting several events in April and May, 2020, including Earth Optimism on Easter Monday; International Family Equality Day; Wildlife Migration Day; and Bite Night:...
Mar. 06, 2020
Stanley crane Alice is unlike any other bird of her species. Hand-raised by keepers, she has a sweet temperament and joyous personality. When she sustained a leg injury last summer, animal care staff...
Iranian fat-tailed gecko
Mar. 06, 2020
Two mysterious and secretive residents recently arrived at the Reptile Discovery Center: Iranian fat-tailed geckos! Get the scoop on this rad brother-sister duo from animal keeper Sara Hasenstab.
Mar. 06, 2020
How do keepers safely care for an 850-pound Grevy's zebra? By incorporating training into his everyday routine. Find out more in this update from animal keeper Regina Bakely.
Mar. 05, 2020
Dr. Suzan Murray, head of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health Program testifies on zoonotic disease transmission.
a bison looks directly at the camera
Mar. 03, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo humanely euthanized Zora, a 7-year-old bison, earlier today.
Zoo entrance with icon banners.
Mar. 02, 2020
Smithsonian's National Zoo Director Steve Monfort shares with neighbors the Zoo's plans for 2020 spring break security and upcoming events.
Feb. 28, 2020
Add a little sunshine to a gray winter day with a trip to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. There’s still plenty to see from December through March. This guide will help you plan for a cold-weather...
two cheetah cubs lay in hay. they're eyes are not open yet.
Feb. 24, 2020
Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the Columbus Zoo have successfully transferred cheetah embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) to a surrogate cheetah...
Zoo entrance with icon banners.
Feb. 13, 2020
On Monday, Feb. 10, Smithsonian’s National Zoo officials attended a Woodley Park Community Association meeting organized by councilmember Mary Cheh from 7 to 8 p.m. at Stanford (2661 Connecticut Ave...
A Persian onager, a light brown equid, walking in the snow with a foal behind her.
Feb. 12, 2020
It has been a fairly mild winter at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. But we did have one bigger snow day Jan. 7. It snowed almost 6 inches at some of our barns...
Three plains zebras stand in tall grasses in Laikipia Kenya. The zebras stand in a line, and rolling hills with trees and buildings can be seen in the background.
Feb. 12, 2020
Across Laikipia County in central Kenya, endangered species like the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and African wild dog, coexist alongside rapidly growing numbers of people and livestock. A...
White-cheeked gibbon Sydney in his habitat at Gibbon Ridge.
Feb. 11, 2020
Primate keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Sydney, a white-cheeked gibbon who was humanely euthanized Feb. 4. He was 20 years old.
Kids walking along path during summer camp
Feb. 04, 2020
Registration for 2020 spring and summer camps is open to all FONZ members now.
Jan. 31, 2020
Inti is bold, Masi is chill and Sani is shy (unless there is food around). No, they aren’t the latest reality TV divas, but the newest residents at the Zoo. An all-female herd of guinea pigs has...
Western lowland gorilla infant Moke in his outdoor habitat.
Jan. 31, 2020
Moke may just be a few months shy of turning 2-years-old, but our young western lowland gorilla has quite an independent personality! Last autumn, he mastered voluntary injection training. 
Sloth bear Remi explores her habitat on Asia Trail.
Jan. 29, 2020
Given the choice between mealworms and melons, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s sloth bears—6-year-old female Remi and 5-year-old male Niko—will almost always choose the former, even when their diet...