X
× The Zoo is open! Entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. All visitors ages 2 and older are required to wear a mask in all indoor spaces at the Zoo, regardless of their vaccination status. Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a mask in outdoor areas.
☰

Search Google Appliance

Search
  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Zoo News Archive
Share this page:

Zoo News Archive

Ring-tailed lemur Southside Johnny sits next to a hibiscus flower
Oct. 28, 2021
Top Five Reasons To Leap Into World Lemur Day
We’re leaping for joy and celebrating World Lemur Day at Smithsonian’s National Zoo! This special holiday—which takes place the last Friday in October—is the perfect occasion for learning all about...
Five cheetah cubs sleep together on a bed of straw
Oct. 25, 2021
#Cubdate 4: The Cubs Are Back on Cheetah Cam!
Cuddle puddles are back! Cheetah mom Rosalie moved her five cubs back into the den with a webcam!
three cheetah cubs in the grass
Oct. 22, 2021
#CheetahCubdate 3: Cubs in the Grass
Animal care staff peeked in on Rosalie's five cheetah cubs in their new den of tall grasses.
Cheetah mom Rosalie nurses five cubs on a bed of straw
Oct. 21, 2021
#CheetahCubdate 2: A New Den
Cheetah mom Rosalie has picked a new "den" for her cubs. She moved them, one by one, to a large clump of tall grasses in her yard. The area is well-protected and it is not uncommon for cheetah moms...
Five cheetah cubs sleep together on a bed of straw
Oct. 19, 2021
#CheetahCubdate 1: An Introduction to Cuddle Puddles
Rosalie’s cubs are 1 week old today and there’s only good news to report: they’re adorable, fat and happy.
an adult golden-headed lion tamarin sits on a branch. two babies cling to her back.
Oct. 18, 2021
Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins Are Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
For the first time in 16 years, Smithsonian’s National Zoo is celebrating the birth of golden-headed lion tamarin twins.
Primate keeper administers a vaccine to a Bornean orangutan through safety mesh
Oct. 15, 2021
Lions and Tigers Continue To Recover From COVID-19 and First Vaccines Were Administered To Susceptible Species at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
The lions and tigers who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 the week of Sept. 13 are recovering well. All are behaving, eating and drinking normally. Zoo animal care staff also administered the...
Cheetah mom Rosalie nurses five cubs on a bed of straw
Oct. 12, 2021
Cheetah Cubs Are Born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, welcomed a litter of five cheetah cubs today.
African lion Luke in his outdoor habitat at the Great Cats exhibit.
Oct. 08, 2021
Lions and Tigers Recovering Well at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 the week of Sept. 13 are behaving and eating normally.
Adrienne Croiser takes a selfie of a 16-day-old cheetah cub. The cub is sitting on a light green towel in her lap. Adrienne is sitting in a car. Her right hand has a royal blue latex glove on and holds the phone taking the photo.
Oct. 06, 2021
#CheetahCubdate: Cheetah Cub Successfully Living with Foster Cheetah Family
On Sunday, Oct. 3, a 2-week-old male cheetah cub was transferred to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, and introduced to his foster cheetah family. Get the full story from cheetah reproductive...
SCBI biologist Adrienne Crosier transferred a 2-week-old male cheetah cub from Front Royal, Virginia, to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon.
Oct. 06, 2021
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Cheetah Cub Successfully Transferred to Foster Cheetah Family in Oregon
A 2-week-old male cheetah cub from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, was transferred to a new cheetah foster mother at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon,...
Asian elephants Maharani (foreground) and her mother Kamala (background) explore the Elephant Trails habitat.
Oct. 01, 2021
Caring for Asian Elephants: Stories from a Real-life Zoo Guardian
Raise your trunks for the world’s largest land mammal: the elephant! Find out how animal keeper, Rebecca Riley, cares for Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd.
Oct. 01, 2021
Update on COVID-19 Positive Great Cats at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo continue to be treated for COVID-19. All tigers and lions, including the three lions noted of concern in the Sept. 24 update, are improving and...
land hermit crab
Oct. 01, 2021
How Do You Build a Home for Hermit Crabs?
"Shellebrate" land hermit crabs and take a behind-the-scenes look at how keepers built a habitat for these charismatic crustaceans. 
A 2-week-old cheetah cub lays perked up on a blanket. The blanket is white with a black pawprint pattern. The blanket sits on a dark-red concrete floor.
Oct. 01, 2021
#CheetahCubdate: First Vet Exam
Earlier this week, the 2-week-old cheetah cub we are temporarily hand-raising received a clean bill of health from the veterinary team! Get the full cubdate from biologist Adrienne Crosier.
Black-footed ferret kit being held in gloved hand.
Sep. 24, 2021
Black-Footed Ferrets: Top Milestones for a Species Once Presumed Extinct
Black-footed ferrets, North America’s only native ferret species, were thought to have gone extinct in 1979. On Sept. 26, 1981, a black-footed ferret was discovered on the Wyoming prairie. From that...
African lion Luke in his outdoor habitat at the Great Cats exhibit.
Sep. 24, 2021
Update on COVID-19 Positive Great Cats at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo continue to be treated for COVID-19. All tigers and three lions are eating normally and improving. Three lions are of greater concern.
Western lowland gorilla Moke sits atop a log in the Great Ape House outdoor yard.
Sep. 24, 2021
A Day in the Life of a Gorilla at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Playing, foraging, training and snoozing—it’s all in a day in the life of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s western lowland gorilla troop! 
Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji stands on his climbing structure, looking straight at the viewer.
Sep. 24, 2021
#PandaStory: A Splashing Good Time
Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji may have found a new favorite pastime. While keepers were cleaning the outdoor patio Sept. 16, our curious cub jumped in the hose spray and had a splashing good time!
A one-week-old cheetah cub props himself up on a light pink towel. Behind and to the right of him, there is a large, brown plush dog. Further behind and to the left is a plush cheetah.
Sep. 24, 2021
A Cheetah Cub Check-in
Get an inside look at the one-week-old cheetah cub animal care staff at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are currently hand-raising in this #Cubdate Q&A with biologist Adrienne Crosier.
A bobcat walking through an area with tall shrubs and grasses on a sunny day
Sep. 20, 2021
How I Study Elusive Prairie Bobcats
Find out how Smithsonian researchers are using camera traps to study bobcats on the Northern Great Plains.
Male cheetah cub being bottle-fed formula.
Sep. 20, 2021
Animal Care Staff Are Hand-rearing Cheetah Cub at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) are hand-raising a male cheetah cub for several weeks before placing the cub with a foster cheetah mother at another zoo....
Male adult African lion
Sep. 17, 2021
Great Cats Tested Presumptive Positive For COVID-19 at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Six African lions, a Sumatran tiger and two Amur tigers have tested presumptive positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. Last weekend, animal keepers observed decreased appetites, coughing,...
Zoo entrance with icon banners.
Sep. 16, 2021
Autumn Update from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Members of the Zoo Neighborhood Council received this correspondence Sept. 16, 2021. 
A black-and-white ruffed lemur holds onto a tree branch with one paw and a juice feeder made of a pvc cap with juice-filled tubes with the other
Sep. 13, 2021
How Do You Keep Animals Cool in the Heat?
If you have visited the Zoo during the summer, then you know it can get hot, muggy and buggy here in Washington, D.C.! Find out how keepers use enrichment to help animals stay cool in the heat.
Subscribe to our RSS feed