News Archive

Springtime at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has arrived, and we are looking forward to warmer weather, longer days and many exciting events.

See a list of events being held at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo from April through the beginning of June 2019.

Fishing cats are vulnerable in the wild across South and Southeast Asia, and sightings by scientists are few and far between. Not many of these small spotted cats live in zoos either, which could spell trouble for the entire species.

A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) March 28.

An international study led by The Australian National University (ANU) has found that a fungal disease has caused dramatic population declines in at least 501 amphibian species, including 90 extinctions, over the past 50 years.

Get the scoop on the reunion between western lowland gorilla infant Moke and his troop from Becky Malinsky, assistant curator of Primates.

On March 15, Mei Xiang started exhibiting behavioral signs that breeding season is approaching!

A wallaby popped its head out of its mother’s pouch last week at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Asia Trail keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Peaches, a 7-year-old female Asian small-clawed otter who was humanely euthanized March 11. Over the past eight months, animal care staff had been treating Peaches for a cancerous mass.

On March 7, 2019, the Smithsonian's National Zoo received combined preliminary and final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for its perimeter fencing plan focused on improving pedestrian safety.

A scimitar-horned oryx, an elderly whooping crane and an Eld’s deer died at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) between Feb. 23 and Feb. 26.

A female brown kiwi chick hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) Feb. 3 and is thriving after initially requiring veterinary care. The chick had difficulty hatching, and her legs appeared to be weak.

There seems to be a favorite in the naked mole-rat colony.

The coffee farm El Roble, nestled high above the Mesa de los Santos region of Colombia, has been in owner Oswaldo Acevedo’s family since 1840. He credits the beauty and ecological diversity of the estate to the Bird Friendly habitat his family created.

Smithsonian scientists and partners believe genetic diversity could hold the key to saving amphibians from Ranavirus, a pathogen that is particularly devastating to frogs and toads in the U.S.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo was created in 1889 and opened its doors in 1891. To celebrate its 130th anniversary, look back at how the Zoo has evolved through the years.

What’s that in Peru’s sky? It’s a conservation drone! The new super hero of Peru has just arrived, and it is here to fight deforestation, safeguard ecosystem restoration and protect nature along with its Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientist sidekicks.

When Asian elephant Swarna needed her teeth examined, animal keepers tried something that had never been done at the Zoo before. Over two months, they trained the 44-year-old elephant to voluntarily participate in dental radiographs!

A sassy new resident made her debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo this week! Animal care staff recently welcomed Amur tiger Nikita to the Great Cats exhibit. Get to know her in this Q&A.

Let’s play a game…for science! With a tap of the touch-screen computer, orangutans at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo try their memories at matching pictures. These games help scientists study the apes’ metacognition.

Amani (Ah-MON-ee), an elderly cheetah living at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, was humanely euthanized Feb. 19.

With each passing day, western lowland gorilla infant Moke places more weight on his injured leg. His gait and movement have improved over the past month.

On Feb. 23, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China hosted a housewarming party, sponsored by Airbnb, to celebrate the new exhibit for visitors inside the Zoo’s giant panda house.

Without ever laying eyes on a San Joaquin kit fox, scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute know how many of the cute creatures live in California’s Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area.

Snow in Washington, D.C. today, Feb. 20, brought out the playful side of the giant pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.