Bei Bei is settling in at his new home in China at the Bifengxia panda base. He did very well on the FedEx Panda Express and spent most of the 16-hour trip eating and sleeping.
ZooLights—powered by Pepco—is bigger, brighter and better than ever this season. Visitors can join the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in celebrating the holidays with its annual free lights festival. The Zoo will be illuminated for 31 nights—from Nov. 29 through Jan. 1, 2020 (except Dec. 24, 25 and 31)...
“Bye Bye, Bei Bei” (BAY-BAY,) a series of online and on-site celebratory events to bid a fond farewell to giant panda Bei Bei before he departs for China.
There is a prickle of excitement at Small Mammal House where keepers discovered that Beatrix, a 2-year-old prehensile-tailed porcupine, gave birth to a porcupette.
As we prepare to bid giant panda Bei Bei a fond farewell, we’re taking a look back at some favorite milestones and memorable moments from his time at the Zoo.
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.
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.
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.
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.
