Press Release Archive

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Zoo was temporarily closed due to a bomb threat on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Asia Trail keepers celebrated giant panda Tian Tian’s 26th birthday with a special panda-friendly fruitsicle cake.

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.

This morning, Asia Trail keepers celebrated giant panda Xiao Qi Ji’s third birthday at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo will celebrate "miracle cub" Xiao Qi Ji's 3rd birthday on Monday, Aug. 21.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

For the first time in 16 years, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, D.C., is celebrating the birth of three meerkats.

Every spring and fall billions of birds fly thousands of miles to reach their breeding and wintering grounds, yet some of the most basic details of these astonishing avian pilgrimages remain murky. In two studies published today in Movement Ecology, Nathan Cooper, research ecologist for the...

Just in time for spring break, two male Andean bear cubs named Sean and Ian are now on view.

Two male Andean bear cubs make their outdoor debut March 27, 2023.

Primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, D.C., are making preparations for the highly anticipated birth of a critically endangered western lowland gorilla.

Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, delivered these remarks at the Eleanor Holmes Norton Town Hall event on March 15, 2023.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute invites visitors to soar into its renovated Bird House, open Monday, March 13, 2023.