Press Release Archive
An archive of press releases from Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
![A cotton-top tamarin perches on a tree branch.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-01/cotton-top-tamarin-single2-web.png?itok=qBnln8Ru)
Public Can Help Name Cotton-Top Tamarins at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Starting Feb. 5, the public will have an opportunity to vote on names for two cotton-top tamarin sisters.
![Walnut, a white-naped-crane, strolls through a field of flowers at the NZCBI Front Royal Campus.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-01/20230613-ChrisCrowe002-White-Naped-Crane-Walnut-teaser.jpg?itok=ofDspIu3)
White-Naped Crane Dies at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
NZCBI staff in Front Royal, Virginia, are mourning the loss of Walnut, a white-naped crane who became an internet sensation for choosing one of her keepers as her mate.
![Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji eats bamboo in his outdoor habitat.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/newsroom/20230214-kaitlynadkins-004-xiao-qi-ji.jpg?itok=FsHm_r41)
Giant Pandas Depart Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute for China
Giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji began their journey to China on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
![A Baltimore oriole parent feeds its chick in the Bird House's bird friendly coffee farm aviary on June 15, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/newsroom/20230615-817a4878-014rp-baltimore-oriole-chick-teaser.jpg?itok=g8uoTLQr)
Oriole Chicks Receive Names Following a Public Vote
The public has voted and now the 10 oriole chicks hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s (NZCBI) Bird House have names!
![Wild prairie dogs are ecosystem engineers who are critical for the survival of over one hundred grassland species. Photo credit: Brett Kuxhausen, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Photo of a prairie dog eating a blade of grass against the backdrop of the American prairie.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/newsroom/20230826-img_8663-005bk-s.jpg?itok=2_puXzL3)
New Technologies Track Prairie Dogs and Map Their Burrows for the First Time
Specialized technologies offer a new perspective into the lives of endangered black-footed ferrets and their prairie dog prey.
![An orchard oriole, a small songbird with black upperparts and reddish-brown lower parts, perches on a tree branch.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/animals/orchard-oriole-2-20211208-817a1691-005rp.png?itok=vxyqC2Ro)
Public Can Help Name Orchard Oriole Chicks at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
In a major conservation success, 10 oriole chicks hatched at the Bird House, and the Zoo is seeking the public’s help to name them.
![The entrance to the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Zoolights event with trees lit up in red, green, yellow and blue and a lit sign that says "Zoolights"](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/events/zoo-lights/zoolights2.jpg?itok=jl7xXaYX)
ZooLights Returns Nov. 24 to Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Washington, D.C.’s beloved family-friendly winter wonderland, ZooLights, returns to brighten the holiday season at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/zoo-entrance.jpg?itok=ZgrQjvMN)
Operating Status Update
In the event of a government shutdown on Oct. 1, Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo will remain OPEN through at least Oct. 7.
![Cheetah mother Echo with five cubs born Sept. 12, 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/cheetah_echo_with_cubs.00_00_10_17.still001-teaser.jpg?itok=QkovT0OP)
Litter of Five Cheetah Cubs Are Born at Front Royal Campus, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, are celebrating a litter of five cheetah cubs born to 8-year-old adult female Echo Tuesday, Sept. 12.
![Giant panda Mei Xiang rests on a log in her outdoor habitat.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/newsroom/20230722-817a8337-003rp-teaser.jpg?itok=5yZDeKl7)
Media Advisory: Giant Pandas Celebrate Panda Palooza Beginning September 23
Presentation of panda-friendly fruitsicle cakes to beloved giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji in celebration of Panda Palooza: A Giant Farewell event.
![Photo credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute A porcupine with an overlaid Halloween-style pig mask appears next to the words "Boo at the Zoo".](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/events/boo-at-the-zoo-porcupine-web.png?itok=r6i4EatV)
Boo at the Zoo Returns Oct. 20, 21 and 22
It’s no trick, only the sweetest treat: Boo at the Zoo, sponsored by Mars Wrigley Confectionery, is back! The Zoo will be brimming with festive displays and spook-tacular trick-or-treating for this special ticketed event.
![Three cartoon pandas, representing Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji, are perched in a tree eating bamboo. The words Panda Palooza: A Giant Farewell appear next to the image.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-12/Website%20Banner%202%201400%20x%20700.jpg?itok=6qzlMgN8)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo Hosts Panda Palooza: A Giant Farewell, Sept. 23 to Oct. 1
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) will celebrate its three giant pandas before the bears depart for China later this year. Visitors are invited to join the Panda Palooza, a nine-day onsite and online series of events.
Zoo Evacuation Aug. 29
The Zoo was temporarily closed due to a bomb threat on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
![Tian Tian relaxes in the shade at the giant panda habitat.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/paragraphs/single_image/giantpanda_tiantian_2019_skipbrown-01.jpg?itok=Z_XC6WLM)
Giant Panda Tian Tian Celebrates Birthday
Asia Trail keepers celebrated giant panda Tian Tian’s 26th birthday with a special panda-friendly fruitsicle cake.
![Elkhorn coral in the ocean.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/untitled_design_1.png?itok=M0GCsSmy)
New Technique Could Facilitate Rapid Cryopreservation of All Coral Species
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) researchers have achieved a breakthrough in the fight to save the world’s coral reefs from climate change annihilation.
![Giant Panda Xiao Qi Ji eats his third birthday cake.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/20230821-skipbrown-003-giant-panda-xiao-qi-ji-teaser.jpg?itok=Ijc8ey60)
Giant Panda Xiao Qi Ji Celebrates Third Birthday
This morning, Asia Trail keepers celebrated giant panda Xiao Qi Ji’s third birthday at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.
![Xiao Qi Ji celebrated the special occasion with a festive fruitsicle cake, lovingly created by our Department of Nutrition Sciences team. They adorned the three-tiered treat with a giant “2" and some of his favorite foods, including apples, pears, bananas, sugar cane, sweet potato and bamboo. Giant Panda cub Xiao Qi Ji sticks his nose in his 2nd birthday ice cake on the rock formation in the front of an outdoor yard. The cake has a red 2 on the front and various colors on the side. Bamboo sticks out the top and back of the ice cake.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/newsroom/dsc09550.jpg?itok=k4SO_-nS)
Media Advisory: Miracle Cub Giant Panda Xiao Qi Ji's Birthday Celebration on Aug. 21
The Smithsonian's National Zoo will celebrate "miracle cub" Xiao Qi Ji's 3rd birthday on Monday, Aug. 21.
![A female giant panda in a grassy enclosure investigates a fruitsicle cake shaped in the number 25.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/20230722-817a8381-001rp-web.png?itok=PaxvgXAw)
Giant Panda Celebrates Birthday at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Asia Trail keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., celebrated giant panda Mei Xiang’s 25th birthday.
![Feb. 1, 2023| Addax Terri rests behind the scenes at the Africa Trail exhibit. Photo Credit: Gil Myers, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Addax Terri rests beside a fence at the Africa Trail exhibit.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/newsroom/20230201-gilmyers001-addax-terri-cropped2.jpg?itok=8nSb2NPQ)
Addax Dies at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is mourning the loss of a 2-year-old female addax named Terri who died June 12.
![Western lowland gorilla baby Zahra is cradles by her mother, Calaya.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/20230607-beckymalinsky-001-gorilla-calaya-baby-teaser.jpg?itok=HwAKXhAY)
Her Name Is Zahra
After five days of public voting and just under 25,000 votes, the baby western lowland gorilla is named Zahra [ZAH-rah], which means “beautiful flower” in Swahili.
![Photo of Alyssa Kaganer and a male colleague injecting liquid into a small test tube.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/untitled_design_0.png?itok=sZIZyzqd)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and Kenyan Partners Awarded $5 Million Grant To Prevent Emerging Diseases in Northern Kenya
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI)’s Global Health Program and partners including the International Livestock Research Institute, Government of Kenya Zoonotic Disease Unit and Turkana Basin Institute have been awarded a five-year, $4.98 million grant to study...
![A newborn gorilla infant clings to her mother, Calaya.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/20230527-beckymalinsky-003-gorilla-infant-teaser.jpg?itok=GJ800nmH)
The Public Can Help Name a Baby Western Lowland Gorilla at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Starting today, June 5, western lowland gorilla fans will have an opportunity to vote on a name for a baby gorilla born May 27 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
![Female black-footed ferret in a nest box nursing her kits.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/teaserbffcam2023_0.png?itok=rQRBzcrS)
Watch Black-Footed Ferret Mom Hickory and Her New Kits on Public Webcam
Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia welcomed a litter of endangered black-footed ferrets last week. One-year-old female Hickory gave birth to six surviving kits May 27.
![Closeup of a baby gorilla born recently at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/20230527-valschultz-010-gorilla-infant-cropped.png?itok=NvOXcq2Z)
Western Lowland Gorilla Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
For the first time in five years, primate staff are celebrating the birth of a western lowland gorilla—a critically endangered species. It was born between midnight and 6:15 a.m. May 27 to mother Calaya and father Baraka.