Press Release Archive

Extreme weather conditions, like those expected with this year's powerful El Niño have strong effects on a charismatic Amazonian bird species, the wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda).

WHAT: Public debut of giant panda cub Bei Bei at the National Zoo WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 16 WHAT: Public debut of giant panda cub Bei Bei at the National Zoo WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 16 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Note: It is recommended that visitors interested in seeing Bei Bei arrive at the panda habitat by 3:30 p...

After a two-year hiatus, red pandas have returned to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Visitors can see them at the Small Mammal House, where they will live until upgrades to the red panda exhibit on Asia Trail are completed. The upgrades are expected to be finished by spring. We hope that our...

Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution and partners have published a paper that will help them save Panamanian frog species from extinction due to a deadly fungal disease called Chytridiomycosis (chytrid). The study, which was published Jan. 4 in Animal Conservation, draws on the expertise of...

Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) humanely euthanized an elderly male scimitar-horned oryx named Dr. Bob Dec. 14. A final pathology report will provide more information in the coming weeks. Dr. Bob was 18 years old. The median life expectancy for scimitar...

After decades of attempts, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists and researchers at Cornell University have become the first to successfully use in vitro fertilization (IVF) to produce live, healthy domestic puppies from cryopreserved (frozen) embryos. As part of the Cornell...

Twenty-five Instagrammers will be some of the first people to see giant panda cub Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) Dec. 19 at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Beginning today, Dec. 1, anyone age 13 or older can enter for a chance to attend the #PandaStory Instameet. Instagrammers selected to attend will receive a...

During a routine medical exam yesterday, Nov. 24, veterinarians at the Smithsonian's National Zoo discovered that their male clouded leopard had life-threatening tumors. Keepers had noticed that Tai, a 13-and-a-half-year-old male, had been chewing gingerly on the right side of his mouth for the past...

We are sad to announce the loss of three elderly small mammals, who died yesterday, Nov. 23. Geriatric animals receive specialized care from their keepers, veterinarians, and nutritionists to ensure that they receive the best possible care. Often, that entails ensuring their exhibits are easy to get...

Giant pandas, which have been icons and ambassadors for the efforts to save the species in Washington, D.C., since 1972, will continue to live at the Smithsonian's National Zoo through the end of 2020. The new breeding agreement signed by Zoo Director Dennis Kelly and Li Qingwen, deputy secretary...

Giant panda cub Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) will go on public exhibit for the first time Jan. 16, 2016. In the past three months, he has transformed from a pink hairless cub weighing about 5 ounces to a robust 12.5-pound black-and-white cub capable of crawling and sometimes walking on his own. The panda team...

A 19-year-old female North Island brown kiwi named Nessus died Oct. 30 at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Per standard procedure, a necropsy (animal autopsy) was performed the same day. The initial report indicates that aspiration of stomach contents was the immediate cause of death. Additional...

Sadly, both of the geriatric maned wolves at the Cheetah Conservation Station recently died. As a non-breeding companion pair, they were terrific ambassadors for their species, and taught visitors about the behavior and social nature of maned wolves. The exhibit will remain empty while our animal...

The National Zoo is sad to announce the death of 7-year-old golden lion tamarin Pepe, who died overnight at the Vet Hospital. A final pathology report will provide more information. The median life expectancy of a golden lion tamarin is 8 years in the wild. A few weeks ago, keepers noticed that Pepe...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) welcomed three chirping cheetah cubs Friday, Oct. 16. The cubs are genetically very important for the population of cheetahs in human care. Their mother, Sanurra, is the third-most genetically valuable female in the United States. She came to...

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For the first time ever, zoos will have access to the most comprehensive information about female African lion reproduction as the result of an eight-year study from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and partners. The findings were published Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the scientific...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. is celebrating the birth of two male Eld's deer, an endangered species native to Myannmar. The first fawn, pictured here, was born Sept. 26 to 7-year-old mother Sherri and 6-year-old father Nam Tann. On Sept. 27, a second fawn was...

This weekend, Oct. 3 and 4, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Va., will open to the public for its annual Autumn Conservation Festival. Held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Festival will allow visitors to explore the scenic facility, view endangered species—such as...

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) announced that the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute received Top Honors in marketing for budgets under $175,000 for their Endangered Song Project.

In a study published Sept. 28 in the journal Nature Plants, a team led by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists found that bigger trees suffer the most during droughts, regardless of location or forest type. The team, including ecologists Kristina Anderson-Teixeira and Amy...

On September 17, an 4-year-old female Eld's deer was spooked during a semiannual fire safety check on the sprinkler system at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. The safety test produced a startling noise to which the deer reacted by running into the enclosure's...

This morning, Sept. 25, the giant panda cub born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Aug. 22 received his name, Bei Bei (BAY-BAY), which means precious, treasure" and is complementary to his sister's name, Bao Bao. In celebration of the state visit and as a special honor for the cub, the name was...

Keepers had an opportunity to weigh the 4.5 week-old giant panda cub yesterday, Sept. 21, when Mei Xiang left her den to eat. He weighs 2.95 pounds (1,339 grams) and has now surpassed both of his older siblings in size when they were the same age. At 4-and-a-half weeks old, Bao Bao weighed...