News Archive

How do you get an orangutan to sit still for an electrocardiogram? All it takes is a little patience and a lot of ingenuity! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s positive reinforcement training program enables primates to voluntarily participate in their own medical care without the need for anesthesia.

Forty years ago, the distinctive call of the bobwhite quail could be heard throughout Virginia’s grasslands. Now, their call is fading — silenced by changing farm practices and land development that have led to the quail’s steep population declines. The Smithsonian has joined a nationwide effort to...

The Zoo's historic Bird House may be under renovation, but that has not stopped the animal care team from bringing native shorebirds, songbirds and waterfowl under their wing to establish best practices in husbandry and breeding. In the past few months, keepers celebrated many significant hatchings...

Fall is upon us, which means that it’s a great time to visit the Great Cats exhibit to see our African lions in action! When the temperature is between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the cats are at their most frisky.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is home to two new regally mustachioed monkeys.

Cheetah Conservation Station keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the arrival of a male lesser kudu calf, who was born Oct. 14 to 5-year-old mother Rogue and 9-year-old father Garrett.

Long-billed curlew are shorebirds that spend their summers breeding in the grasslands of Montana. Smithsonian ecologists are equipping them with GPS trackers to learn more about their movements.

Giant panda Bei Bei will depart the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for China Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Can sloth swim? What do they eat? And why are they so slow? Impress your friends and ace your next online quiz with these fun facts about sloths to celebrate International Sloth Day on Oct. 20.

Get the answers to frequently asked questions about giant panda Bei Bei's departure from the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

In September 2019, the Smithsonian scientists launched Snapshot USA, a nationwide camera trap survey effort in the hopes of capturing the first-ever “snapshot” of wildlife across the U.S.

There’s no better activity for a fall day in D.C. than a trip to the Zoo. Crowds are smaller, days are cooler and changing leaves bring a burst of color to the park.

The newest residents at Reptile Discovery Center are in no rush to grow up. The two 5-year-old Aldabra tortoises debuted in late September.

The end of the summer has been very busy at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, which welcomed two new members to its Persian onager herd.

In August 2019, Reptile Discovery Center keeper Matt Neff embarked on a trip that took him across the Pacific Ocean to learn about enrichment, husbandry and breeding for the second-largest salamander species on earth: the Japanese giant salamander. Check out photos and notes from his trip!

Catch up with the Zoo's Andean bears, Billie jean and Quito, with animal keeper Sara Colandrea.

What makes (or breaks) a coral’s ability to survive rising sea temperatures? It’s a puzzling predicament, and scientists are hoping coral nurseries can help crack the code.

In Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, eastern coyotes join the ranks of top predators, along with black bears and foxes. Still, these clever canines face threats in their native habitat. Using GPS collars, scientists are about to embark on a study to piece together the movements of coyotes on the prowl.

Cheetah Conservation Station keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of a female lesser kudu named Shirley, who died Sept. 28 following complications during the birthing process.

This newsletter was sent to the Zoo's surrounding community and neighbors on Sept. 25, 2019.

Global Health Program researchers co-hosted a camel medicine course for Kenyan livestock veterinarians in March to help improve camel veterinary knowledge, promote wildlife health and lower the risk of diseases.

Sydney, a 3-year-old Bennett’s wallaby, died Sept. 20 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Animal care, exhibits, scientific research and education programs at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are made possible by donors.

Smithsonian scientists tracked Egyptian vultures through 44 countries across 70% of their range. They learned that vultures traveling from Western Europe had shorter, more direct routes to wintering grounds in Northern Africa than vultures traveling from Eastern Europe.