News Archive

The six lion cubs at the Great Cats Exhibit are growing fast and their husbandry training sessions are in full swing! Parents Luke, Naba and Shera have their paws full with the rambunctious cubs—but it's our animal care team's challenge to care for the entire pride. Curator Craig Saffoe and keepers...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently welcomed the newest member of its zoological family: the North American Porcupine. Two adult porcupines named Quillby and Maude are now on exhibit adjacent to the prairie dog exhibit. Both porcupines came from a breeding facility in Pennsylvania and are...

The rusty-patched bumble bee ( Bombus affinis), which has not been seen in the eastern United States in five years, has been found by a Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute research team at Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, Virginia.

Morgan Maly is a graduate student at North Carolina State University working on her master’s thesis in conjunction with Dr. Adrienne Crosier at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute studying sexual maturity in ex situ cheetahs. This past October I had an opportunity to travel to Dujiangyan...

This update was written by Keeper Nicole MacCorkle. Bao Bao has been introduced to the training cage! This is an important developmental step because this is where the animal care team conduct husbandry behaviors such as measuring blood pressure, drawing blood, taking radiographs, and even routine...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., is opening its doors—usually closed to the public—for special opportunities in October. The month kicks off with the Autumn Conservation Festival Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5. Visitors to SCBI can see endangered species and...

The membership of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has elected Dennis Kelly, Director of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, to the position of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. The AZA community recognizes Dennis's strong leadership abilities, said AZA President and CEO Jim...

Watch the latest from "Wild Inside the National Zoo." Video

Last week saw a perfect example of how the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute saves species: Staff released black-footed ferrets—once feared to be extinct—into the wild prairie on a ranch in Colorado. Of the six ferrets released, two lived at SCBI from 2010 to 2013, where they were...

One hundred years after the extinction of the passenger pigeon, the nation's top bird science and conservation groups have come together to publish The State of the Birds 2014—the most comprehensive review of long-term trend data for U.S. birds ever conducted.

In honor of its 125th anniversary, the Smithsonian's National Zoo is once again home to American bison, the animal that began the Zoo's living collection in 1889 and sparked the conservation movement. The American Bison exhibit, sponsored by Continental Building Products, opens to the public...

WHAT: Media preview and name reveal of the National Zoo's two female American bison. The American Bison Exhibit opens to the public Aug. 30. WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 27 9:30 a.m. WHERE: Smithsonian's National Zoo 3001 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Park in the Bus Parking Lot, in the left lane perpendicular to...

The National Zoo and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China celebrated giant panda cub Bao Bao's first birthday this morning with a Zhuazhou (dra-JO) ceremony. During a traditional Zhuazhou ceremony, symbolic objects are placed in front of a baby. The item that the baby reaches for first...

The National Zoo and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China celebrated giant panda cub Bao Bao's first birthday this morning with a Zhuazhou (dra-JO) ceremony. During a traditional Zhuazhou ceremony, symbolic objects are placed in front of a baby. The item that the baby reaches for first...

WHAT:A traditional Zhuazhou (dra-JO) ceremony for giant panda cub Bao Bao ( Media opportunity only. Not open to the public. Public celebration begins at 11 a.m.) WHEN:Saturday, Aug. 23 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. WHERE:Giant Panda Habitat Smithsonian's National Zoo 3001 Connecticut Ave. N.W. ( Please note...

The past year at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat has been a very special one. We've been able to watch Mei Xiang raise a cub from the first moments of her birth, when she was pink and had yet to open her eyes. Now Bao Bao is just over 40 pounds and ventures high into the trees in...

A female red panda, Shama, was euthanized at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., Saturday, Aug. 16. A necropsy performed later that evening revealed severe cerebral edema (swelling of the brain). Based on preliminary cytology, the swelling is attributed to...

Bao Bao can't stay out of the spotlight! The Smithsonian is having a showdown, giving YOU the chance to vote for the top Smithsonian icon! Now that Bao Bao has made it to the second #SIshowdown round, help her make it to the third and final by voting again. Cubs like her are hope for the 1,600 wild...

After more than five hard years of work and constituency-building, it felt like Panama was giving us a big warm hug. Once a year on August 14, an official holiday in Panama called Panamanian Golden Frog Day, our staff come together to help coordinate a week-long festival celebrating Panama’s...

The Great Cats exhibit is celebrating two very special birthdays on August 5: Sumatran tigers Bandar and Sukacita are turning one year old! Keepers Marie Magnuson and Dell Gulglielmo have cared for the cats and their mother, Damai, since they were born. In the latest Keeper Q & A, they reveal...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the SVF Foundation announced July 23 the launch of the Smithsonian & SVF Biodiversity Preservation Project to strengthen rare and endangered livestock breed conservation through the preservation and study of frozen germplasm (semen and embryos)...

We celebrated Mei Xiang's birthday yesterday at the panda habitat. She turned 16 and received a special frozen treat for some extra enrichment. The next birthday we'll be celebrating is Bao Bao's! She's turning 1 year old in 31 days. Bao Bao is an ambassador for her species. Her birth represents...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo humanely euthanized its last Sulawesi macaque, a 27-year-old male named Spock, this morning. The median lifespan for this species is about 18 years. Like many elderly animals, Spock had arthritis in his knee and ankle joints. In 2003 and 2004, Zoo veterinarians...

This update was written by keeper Nicole MacCorkle Bao Bao is participating in regular training sessions with her keepers, but as always, only on her terms. On the days when she's focused, we make real progress—we build on old behaviors she has mastered, and learn new behaviors. One behavior we have...

How do you keep one of the world’s largest land mammals happy? National Zoological Park’s Janine Brown and a team of collaborators have just completed a large-scale study of the what contributes to elephant wellbeing in human care. Nicknamed the “Happy Elephant Project,” this groundbreaking three...