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Press Releases
Nov. 19, 2020
Due to rising regional and national cases related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, all Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, will temporarily close to the public starting Monday,... read press release
Nov. 19, 2020
The African crested rat's fur is packed with a poison so lethal it can fell an elephant, and just a few milligrams can kill a human. Researchers found that it's the only mammal known to sequester... read press release
Nov. 16, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is asking the public to help name the male giant panda cub, now 9.2 pounds of adorable, at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda... read press release
Nov. 10, 2020
ZooLights Express—powered by Pepco—will bring the colorful glow of Washington, D.C.’s beloved Smithsonian’s National Zoo holiday tradition into the community beginning Nov. 27. Festively decorated... read press release
Oct. 13, 2020
American Trail keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Coby, a female gray wolf who was humanely euthanized Sept. 30. At 16 years old, Coby was considered geriatric for her... read press release
Oct. 10, 2020
Small Mammal House keepers at Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Thor, an elderly male sand cat who was humanely euthanized Sept. 29 due to a recent and irreversible decline in... read press release
Oct. 05, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s 6-week-old giant panda cub is a male, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists confirmed. During the cub’s first veterinary exam Sept. 19, Zoo... read press release
Sep. 23, 2020
After an absence of more than 50 years, the swift fox has returned to the grasslands of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana.... read press release
Aug. 21, 2020
Smithsonian’s National Zoo staff will be available to discuss the recent giant panda cub birth. read press... read press release
Aug. 21, 2020
Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) gave birth to a cub at Smithsonian’s National Zoo today, Aug. 21 at 6:35 p.m. read press release
Aug. 21, 2020
A new genomic study ranks the potential of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor site in 410 vertebrate animals. Old World primates and great apes, which have identical amino... read press release
Aug. 20, 2020
State-of-the-art tracking technology reveals previously unknown long-distance movements of Kirtland’s warblers during the mating season that have important conservation implications for North... read press release
Aug. 14, 2020
Veterinarians at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected tissue consistent with fetal development during Mei Xiang’s ultrasound this morning, Aug. 14.... read press release
Aug. 14, 2020
The furry, feathered and scaly world of zoos, animal care and conservation comes to life in “Zoo Guardians,” a new mobile game launched today. Players are invited to build their own zoos, care for... read press release
Jul. 24, 2020
For frogs dying of the invasive chytridiomycosis disease, the leading cause of amphibian deaths worldwide, the genes responsible for protecting them may actually be leading to their demise, according... read press release
Jul. 21, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo opens to the public on July 24. There will be two media opportunities. All media must register to attend. Parking is limited and television crews will be prioritized... read press release
Jul. 20, 2020
The Smithsonian will reopen two of its facilities to the public Friday, July 24: the National Zoo in Northwest Washington, D.C., and the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in... read press release
Jul. 16, 2020
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has welcomed “Lucy” and “Gally,” two juvenile female American bison.... read press release
Jul. 03, 2020
For the first time in the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s (SCBI) history, ungulate keepers celebrated the birth of a male Hartmann’s mountain zebra at the Front Royal, Virginia, facility... read press release