News Archive

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is inviting its Facebook fans to name one of Asia Trails' most adventurous and charismatic critters: a sloth bear cub. Starting Wednesday, May 1, the Zoo is hosting a poll on its Facebook page; fans can vote for their favorite among three names that keepers selected to...

We have some exciting news for all of our panda cam watchers! The panda cams, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund, are going to be gradually upgraded. But in order to make the changes the cams will be turned off for a few weeks. The cams will most likely go dark around at the end of May and...

A 7-year-old sand cat named Thor is the newest addition to the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Small Mammal House exhibit. Thor will serve as an ambassador to his wild cousins and teach Zoo visitors and researchers about the behaviors of this secretive species. Native to Northern Africa, Southern Asia...

On Earth Day 2014, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute launched the "Endangered Song Project," an analog-meets-digital outreach campaign that asked 400 participants to help raise awareness about the fact that there are only 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. We...

Both Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are returning to their normal routines, following the breeding season. Occasionally, we are still seeing some scent-marking or some restlessness, but their appetites have returned, and both are spending their days exploring their yards independently, with little interest...

Baby marmoset monkeys that began eating solid food earlier than their peers were significantly more likely to be obese at one year of age, scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have found. Marmosets on track for...

This week's Giant Panda Update is from Mike Maslanka, head of the Department of Nutrition Science at the Zoo. It's 6:15 a.m. It's dark and cold outside. Many folks around D.C. are still arguing with the snooze button. But in the morning darkness, the garage door of the Commissary at the Smithsonian...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is mourning the loss of its elderly white-cheeked gibbon, a female named Mae, who died April 8. She was 43 years old and lived well past the median life expectancy of zoo gibbons, which is about 28 years old. Mae arrived at the National Zoo in 1976 from the Los Angeles...

Our 15 week-old sloth bear cub had a check up yesterday, and he received a clean bill of health! Veterinarians examined his eyes, mouth and nose; they listened to his heart and lungs; and they checked his limbs and feet. He also received his first vaccinations. As a treat for cooperating for the...

Reproductive scientists and veterinarians from the Smithsonian's National Zoo alongside Tang Chunxiang, the assistant director and chief veterinarian of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at Wolong performed a second artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang...

Reproductive scientists and veterinarians from the Smithsonian's National Zoo, alongside Tang Chunxiang, the assistant director and chief veterinarian of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at Wolong performed a second artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang on...

Spring has sprung and the giant pandas are breeding again at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Scientists detected a rise in urinary estrogens March 26, in its female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG). This rise and her behaviors indicated that Mei Xiang was in estrus and ready to breed. A team of Zoo...

Spring has sprung and the giant pandas are breeding again at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Scientists detected a rise in urinary estrogens March 26, in its female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG). This rise and her behaviors indicated that Mei Xiang was in estrus and ready to breed. A team of Zoo...

The clouded leopard cubs born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., Feb. 6, are healthy and growing. At nearly two months old, they just received their first vaccinations. As they have grown, their diet has changed to match their appetites and nutritional needs. When...

Breeding season has arrived! Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are exhibiting behaviors indicating that they are ready to breed; and Mei Xiang's hormones have begun to rise. That rise indicates that she is in estrus. Our giant panda breeding team — including Zoo keepers, reproductive scientists, veterinarians...

Asia Trail curator and keeper staff have determined the sex of our 3-month-old sloth bear cub: it's a boy! Keepers report that the cub is quite daring and adventurous; he will balance himself atop wobbly enrichment toys (such as logs and boomer balls) and has recently taken to climbing the mesh in...

Asia Trail Curator Tony Barthel and keeper staff at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have determined the sex of a 3-month-old sloth bear cub: it's a boy! Keepers report that the cub is quite daring and adventurous; he will balance himself atop wobbly enrichment toys (such as logs and boomer balls) and...

This week's giant panda news features a behavior update from keeper, Nicole MacCorkle. Both Mei's and Tian's appetites have decreased a bit this week. Tian is bleating more at Mei (a high pitched contact call), and she is vocalizing back, although her vocalizations are anything but friendly. She...

The limosa harlequin frog ( Atelopus limosus), an endangered species native to Panama, now has a new lease on life. The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project is successfully breeding the chevron-patterned form of the species in captivity for the first time. The rescue project is raising...

The commitment at the National Zoo to save Asian elephants from extinction and ensure a future for this endangered species spans more than 50 years. In keeping with the best practices for elephant management, the Zoo has invested in a state-of-the-art exhibit: Elephant Trails. This innovative and...

Have You HERD? Media Open House at the National Zoo's New Elephant Community Center WHAT: A media preview of the Elephant Community Center—the reopening of the 1930s Elephant House—featuring a new state-of-the-art indoor facility for the Zoo's elephants, including a much expanded sand area...

We are continuing to monitor Mei Xiang's hormone levels very closely, but her hormones are still at baseline. Once Mei Xiang's hormones begin to rise we will know that she has entered estrus. Though she is still in the pre-estrus phase, Mei has started showing increased activity and we have noticed...

By Budhan Pukazhenthi, SCBI Scientist The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species, often considered the world authority on wildlife populations, lists African lions as vulnerable. “Vulnerable” is a classification that is not as extreme as “endangered,”...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is mourning the loss of a 16-year-old female maned wolf named Diamantina, who died March 8. A final pathology report will provide more information in the coming weeks. The median life expectancy of a wild maned wolf is usually about 13 years; for a zoo wolf, that...

Dr. Pierre Comizzoli is a reproductive cryobiologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. In this giant panda update he explains how the Zoo stores semen for endagered wildlife, which can be used for procedures like an artificial insemination. The team of people at the Zoo who study...