Press Release Archive
An archive of press releases from Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Five Critically Endangered Cuban Crocodiles Hatched at Smithsonian's National Zoo
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Five critically endangered Cuban crocodiles hatched at the National Zoo's Reptile Discovery Center between July 29 and Aug. 7. The eggs were laid by Dorothy, a 57-year-old genetically valuable crocodile. The hatchlings are less than a foot long, but they could reach up to 10...
Male Agouti Dies at the National Zoo
The Smithsonian's National Zoo is mourning the loss of a young male agouti named Macadamia, who died Aug. 10 during veterinary treatment. Initial exam suggested potential neck and or head injury. Due to the habit of running quickly around the habitat, self-induced trauma is suspected. According to...
Giant Panda Mei Xiang's Hormones Are Rising
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists have confirmed a secondary rise in giant panda Mei Xiang's (may-SHONG) urinary progesterone levels. The slow rise started July 20 and indicates that she will either have a cub or experience the end of a pseudopregnancy within 30 to 50 days...
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Scientists Call for a Shift in When Biology Studies Are Conducted
In a sweeping paper in Biology Letters published today, Aug. 5, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists are calling for a dramatic shift in when biologists study animals in their natural habitat.
Elderly Cheetah Euthanized at National Zoo
Zabini, an elderly male cheetah living at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, was humanely euthanized late evening Aug. 3. He was being treated for ongoing weakness in his hind limbs and was anesthetized for a complete exam Monday. Hind-limb weakness is a possible symptom of a neurologic disorder...
Two Species of Guenons on Exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently welcomed two species of guenons to its zoological family: four Allen's swamp monkeys and three Schmidt's red-tailed monkeys. All seven guenons are now on exhibit in the Think Tank indoor and outdoor habitats. As the monkeys continue to acclimate, keepers will...
Elderly Cheetah Dies at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute is mourning the loss of a 12-year-old male cheetah named Shombay, who died July 18. A final pathology report will provide more information, but his health had been in decline for the past few months. In February, an X-ray detected a growth in Shombay's...
National Zoo Agouti Briefly Escaped from the Small Mammal House
Yesterday shortly after 7 p.m., a male agouti escaped from his outdoor enclosure behind the Small Mammal House at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Agoutis are large beautiful rodents about the size of a large house cat. Zoo staff kept the animal in view and successfully herded him back into a...
FONZ Names Lynn Mento as New Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) is pleased to announce that Lynn Mento has been named Executive Director.
Lynn brings extensive leadership experience in marketing and membership-skills that FONZ believes position her very well to lead the organization to and through the...
Clouded Leopards Born in Thailand Via Artificial Insemination
For only the second time, a litter of clouded leopard cubs has been born as the result of an artificial insemination. Pierre Comizzoli, reproductive physiologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), performed the artificial insemination in Thailand last March alongside Paweena...
Loggerhead Shrike Chicks Hatch at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Ten loggerhead shrikes hatched last month at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Va. These genetically valuable chicks will be the first SCBI-hatched shrikes to be released into the wild, helping to bolster native populations. Hatched May 3, May 7 and May 8 to three...
Miniaturized GPS Tags Allow Tracking of Small Breeding Songbirds to Tropical Winter Territories for First Time
For the first time, researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Migratory Bird Center have tracked small migratory ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) to their tropical wintering grounds with unparalleled accuracy.
Critically Endangered Spider Tortoise Hatches at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Tomorrow is World Turtle day. The Smithsonian's National Zoo is celebrating a conservation milestone; for the first time, a rare spider tortoise has hatched in the Reptile Discovery Center. Animal care staff are closely monitoring the hatchling, which emerged May 10 in an off-exhibit area. Staff...
Free Symposium: Celebrating 125 Years at the Smithsonian's National Zoo: How Ted Reed Envisioned the Modern Zoo
WHAT:Free public symposium celebrates the late Dr. Theodore Reed, his vision and lasting legacy for the modern zoo.
There will also be a daytime academic symposium on May 21 that is open to the public from 1p.m. to 5p.m. Details on both these events are on the National Zoo's website (http:/...
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Scientists Find Andean Bears Using Camera Traps In Peru
For the first time, a team from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's (SCBI) Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability collected photo evidence of an Andean bear (also known as the spectacled bear) in Peru's Amarakaeri Comunal Reserve using camera traps—automated cameras with...
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Scientists Find Forest Corridors Are Key to Maintaining Healthy Sloth Bear Populations
By using DNA extracted from sloth bear scat, a team of Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) researchers found that forest corridors between protected areas in the bears' native habitats are vital to maintaining a genetically diverse population. The team, including John Seidensticker, Jesus Maldonado, Trishna Dutta and Sandeep Sharma from SCBI and Hemendra Singh Panwar from the Peace Institute Charitable Trust, studied sloth bear populations in four wildlife reserves in India. The work was published May 6 in the PLoS-One paper "Genetic variation, structure, and gene flow in a sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) meta-population in the Satpura-Maikal landscape of Central India."
"Our study shows that despite their sensitivity to habitat fragmentation, maintaining connectivity can protect sloth bears by preventing the negative impacts of genetic isolation," said Trishna Dutta, SCBI research fellow and lead author. "The bottom line is clear: Corridors in this landscape are functional and are being used by many different species—sloth bears, leopards and tigers—and the protection of the corridors is vital for their continued survival."
Studying the genetics of wild animals is a difficult proposition. Not only are sloth bears elusive, but it is difficult to tell individuals apart. Unlike tigers and leopards, these bears do not have unique coat patterns, so researchers cannot use camera traps to track individuals.
For decades, SCBI researchers have lead the world in an innovative, noninvasive alternative to trapping animals for studying genetics: They extract DNA samples from scat and hair that the animals leave behind. This technique allows researchers to study the animal populations in an unintrusive way and to sample far more animals than they would otherwise be able to access.
"Noninvasive techniques allow us to study elusive carnivores from a wide range of habitats by collecting these samples," said Jesus Maldonado, SCBI geneticist. "From these, we are able to tell how an animal moves through a landscape and the genetic diversity within the population."
The four wildlife reserves the team studied—Kanha Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve, Bori-Saptura Tiger Reserve and Melghat Tiger Reserve—have been set aside primarily for the protection of tigers, but they are also home to other carnivores. The team found that the sloth bears in the reserves comprise two populations that are each connected by corridors: Bori-Satpura and Melghat form one population, and Kanha and Pench form another.
The researchers found that compared to other bear species, this population of sloth bears displayed a moderately high level of genetic diversity, which is an indication of a healthy population. Evidence of genetic mixing in the sloth bear population, along with scats found in corridors between the reserves, show that sloth bears use these corridors as conduits to move from one area to another. Previous research by SCBI scientists found that sloth bears are sensitive to the size and degree of isolation between forest patches. The results of this study support the argument that it is vital to keep the pathways between the reserves open to wildlife.
However, these corridors lack the formal protection of reserves. Humans use the same forest corridors used by bears for farming and livestock, which can result in human-animal conflict. Another looming threat to sloth bears and their habitat is human population, and the infrastructure, development and energy needs that a growing human population requires, such as transportation networks and mining for coal and other minerals.
Native to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, sloth bears are vulnerable to extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, less than 20,000 sloth bears remain in their range countries.
Headquartered in Front Royal, Va., SCBI facilitates and promotes veterinary and reproductive research as well as conservation ecology programs based at Front Royal, the National Zoo and at field research stations and training sites worldwide. Its scientists are leaders in applying advanced biomedical approaches, including assisted reproductive technologies and germplasm cryopreservation, for enhancing the demographic and genetic diversity of endangered species. SCBI scientists train students to become leaders in the conservation field. The National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex.
Zoo visitors can see four sloth bears—two adults and two juveniles—at the Asia Trail exhibit.
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Photo Credit: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian's National Zoo
Smithsonian's National Zoo Celebrates International Migratory Bird Day with Family Events May 7 and 9
The Smithsonian's National Zoo is hosting two fun and educational events in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day.
Smithsonian's National Zoo Opens Mobile Wildlife Trafficking Educational Kiosk
A free-standing kiosk at the Smithsonian's National Zoo enables visitors to gain a better understanding of the impact of wildlife trafficking. As the exhibit travels around the Zoo, the content will change to pertain to animals in the Zoo's living collection. It will highlight the steps visitors can...
SCBI Researchers Use Frozen Testes Tissue To Generate Sperm
Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) have generated mature sperm from frozen testicular tissue for the first time.
National Zoo Scientists Artificially Inseminate Giant Panda Mei Xiang
After carefully monitoring the behavior of both its giant pandas and female Mei Xiang's (may-SHONG) hormones for weeks, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers performed two artificial inseminations within...
National Zoo Prepares for Giant Panda Breeding Season with the Arrival of Frozen Semen from China
Caitlin Burrell, research scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, returned from China last night April 20, with frozen giant panda semen that had been stored at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base's cryopreservation bank. The sperm may be used for an artificial insemination on the...