News Archive

What affects an elephant’s ability to get pregnant? Scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) set out to solve that mystery. With help from peers across North American zoos, they evaluated elephant hormones to learn how body weight, socialization and life events affected...

Nearly one-third of all amphibian species globally are at risk of going extinct. While the global amphibian crisis is the result of habitat loss, climate change and pollution, the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus plays a large role in the frogs' disappearances. In the fight for frogs, Smithsonian...

What happens when a species is restored to its rightful place in the wild? In the case of the scimitar-horned oryx, the answer to that question has been nearly 30 years in the making. Next month, 25 oryx will be released to a large reserve in Chad, a country where they have been extinct in the wild...

When it comes to choosing a location for a natural gas marine terminal, PERU LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) discovered that the options are not always black and white. When their construction site became the home of choice for Humboldt penguins, PERU LNG called upon the Smithsonian Conservation Biology...

For the first time, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)'s kiwi pair are parents! Keeper Wesley Bailey reveals how a strict diet helped dad Ngati Hine Tahi get in shape and resulted in the pair's first chick. This story appears in the July 2016 issue of Smithsonian Conservation...

Smithsonian's National Zoo scientists are all over the globe and, most recently, at the peaks of Machu Picchu, Peru! Andean bear curator Craig Saffoe, chief veterinarian Don Neiffer, and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientist Francisco Dallmeier trekked to South America to share...

For nearly 50 years, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute primatologist Wolfgang Dittus has studied and lived among the toque macaques in Sri Lanka. In our Q & A, he reveals how family relationships, intelligent behavioral strategies and a healthy environment are key to this species’ survival...

As their native habitat continues to shrink, wild cheetahs are facing a drought of genetic diversity. This is in direct contrast with the population of cheetahs in zoos, which is as genetically diverse as it was 30 years ago because of cooperative and strategically managed breeding programs. The...

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists are working furiously to beat the bleaching clock and cryopreserve coral. But, they’ve run into a wall: bleaching is causing coral to produce poor-quality sperm and eggs. In turn, less are able to settle or survive the cryopreservation...

For the first time in 32 years, the Smithsonian's National Zoo's American Trail team celebrated the arrival of a sea lion pup, born June 26 to 11-year-old mother Calli. Keepers watched the birth in an off-exhibit area and continue to closely monitor the pup, which appears to be nursing, moving and...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently welcomed two new residents to its Cheetah Conservation Station: maned wolves.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) humanely euthanized a 1-year-old female scimitar-horned oryx, after sustaining a severe spinal injury on June 25. The yearling inadvertently separated herself from her herd as they were moving from one pasture to another through a chute. In an...

Tagging nearly 100 gray catbirds across their breeding range in Washington D.C., Atlanta GA, Springfield MA and Fort Collins CO.

The planet's last stronghold of wild cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) is losing genetic diversity at an alarming rate according to a new study from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and partners published June 21 in the journal Biological Conservation. This is in direct contrast with...

Not even pioneering assisted-reproduction techniques can bolster the odds of successful reproduction in bleached coral reefs, according to a new study from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the University of Hawaii. The findings, which were published June 17, in Reproduction...

The National Zoo's senior male sloth bear, 25-year-old Francois, was humanely euthanized yesterday. In human care, sloth bears typically have a median life expectancy of early-to-mid 20s. A final pathology report will provide more information in the coming weeks. Animal care staff had kept a close...

For the first time in 25 years, staff at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are making preparations for the highly anticipated birth of an endangered Bornean orangutan. With a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan (SSP), the 19-year-old parents to be...

Virtual visitors to the Smithsonian's National Zoo will now be able to see its herd of six Asian elephants up-close. The Zoo's high-definition elephant cam was previously stationary and only showed the elephants when they walked in view of the cameras in the Elephant Community Center. The upgraded...

A Japanese giant salamander at the Smithsonian's National Zoo died June 6. Keepers had noticed May 25 that the 25-year-old female had been lethargic and was having difficulty maintaining buoyancy, which prompted keepers to notify the Zoo's veterinarians. Despite treatment with antifungal and...

For the first time, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's kiwi pair are parents! Biologist Warren Lynch and keeper Wesley Bailey reveal how a strict diet helped dad Ngati Hine Tahi get in shape and resulted in SCBI's first chick. <a data-cke-saved-href="//www.youtube.com/embed...

Zoo keeping is an ever-evolving science. That's why director Dennis Kelly and associate director of animal care sciences Brandie Smith traveled to India to collaborate, understand, and protect endangered species. This story appears in the June 2016 issue of National Zoo News. Want animal tales...

The Bird House's redhead ducks share their exhibit with some skittish neighbors—flamingos. To monitor the duck's health without disturbing the other birds, keepers have trained them to come inside for a physical (and some treats) on cue. Get the scoop from keeper Gwen Cooper in the latest Keeper Q &...

For the first time, an egg laid by a female brown kiwi at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute hatched on May 10, 2016.

Eight-year-old North American male porcupine Quillby has had some difficulty moving around his exhibit lately. How do we determine what's ailing him? Teamwork! Zoo veterinarian Jessica Siegal-Willott and biologist Leigh Pitsko collaborated with colleagues at the Friendship Hospital for Animals to...