News Archive

The holiday season and new year were an exciting time for the Zoo's 9-month-old western lowland gorilla, Moke! Read the latest keeper update.

The Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification seal has evolved twice since the program began 20 years ago. The latest logo is a bold rectangle that features shady habitat, soaring songbirds and the Smithsonian Sunburst.

We’re happy to welcome you back from our unscheduled break in naked mole-rat viewing! Life in our naked mole-rat colony has bustled on during the past three-and-a-half weeks. 

In Myanmar, reptiles are rapidly disappearing but rescue facilities across the country, supported by the Turtle Survival Alliance, are working to save them. Reptile Discovery Center assistant curator Matt Evans traveled to these facilities to help his colleagues care for and reintroduce rare...

Is she or isn’t she? Excitement is in the air at Asia Trail, where the Zoo’s 5-year-old female sloth bear, Remi, may be expecting a cub! To monitor her for potential cub development, keepers are training Remi to voluntarily participate in ultrasounds. In this Q&A, animal keeper Stacey Tabellario...

Don’t let his prickly appearance deter you – Quillbur is a very friendly porcupine! Get to know our new prehensile-tailed porcupine in this Q&A with Small Mammal House keepers.

The Zoo's rambunctious 9-month-old gorilla has a fractured femur. Moke is resting and recovering with his parents, Calaya and Baraka, under the close watch of the animal care team.

Celebrate International Zebra Day by learning all about the largest of these striped equids: the Grevy’s zebra!

The shutdown didn’t shutdown giant panda playtime! During the past three-and-a-half weeks Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Bei Bei have carried on with their daily routines.

During the government shutdown, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 28, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s animal care team, almost all federal workers, reported to work and provided the same level of care for the Zoo’s animals as any other day.

During the federal government shutdown from, Jan. 2 to Jan. 28, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s animal care team, almost all federal workers, reported to work and provided the same level of care for the Zoo’s animals as any other day. Read an overview of top...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is dedicated to saving species. Every year, its team of conservationists here and around the globe works hard to make that mission a reality — and 2018 was no exception.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is dedicated to saving species. Every year, its team of conservationists here and around the globe works hard to make that mission a reality — and 2018 was no exception.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo staff humanely euthanized Asha, a 1-year-old Dama gazelle, Dec. 22 after she suffered a neck injury by running into a fence in an off-exhibit area.

If you plant it, they will come. A collaborative research team including scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Guanyinshan Nature Reserve and Tsinghua University has established four bamboo restoration plots with the ambitious goal of accelerating the return of pandas to...

What connection do birds have to global health? That’s the question I asked myself after being assigned to an internship with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

A new paper describes a dragonfly’s full life cycle for the first time. Insects are a critical driver of food webs, so figuring out why their populations are falling dramatically is important for the future success of a wide range of species.

Twelve whooping cranes, one of the most endangered species of crane in the world, moved to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, Dec. 16. The six mated-pairs will be the founding members of SCBI’s whooping crane research and breeding program, and the chicks that...

After months of anticipation, the naked mole-rat colony at the Small Mammal House at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo finally has a queen—the only breeding female in a colony. 

Western lowland gorilla infant Moke is making noise—with enrichment! 

Smithsonian scientists and partners in Florida and Curaçao have become the first to use cryopreserved (frozen) coral sperm to support gene migration of coral populations that would otherwise remain geographically and genetically isolated.

Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) are mourning the loss of Henry, a 4-year-old male red panda, who died overnight Dec. 5.

The New Year will bring in some new changes to the panda house. Beginning Dec. 5, the panda house at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat may occasionally close during weekday mornings to allow for the installation of a brand new exhibit!

Did you know that red pandas have a unique way of picking up scents left by other red pandas? Get the scoop from Asia Trail keeper Mariel Lally. 

Hop on down to the Reptile Discovery Center to see the Zoo’s newest—and most colorful—creatures: red-eyed tree frogs! Get the scoop on the Zoo’s amazing amphibians from assistant curator Matt Evans.