Press Release Archive
An archive of press releases from Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
National Zoo Gorillas are the First to Participate in Heart Disease Study - Media Release
The same device used to detect early warning signs of heart disease in humans will now benefit two male sub-adult gorillas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Twelve-year-old Kwame and 10-year-old Kojo are the first western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla) to participate in a study lead by...
Facebook Users Get Chance to Name Two Maned Wolf Pups at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Two of the four maned wolf pups born Jan. 5, 2012, at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, are in need of names and for the first time the Smithsonian's National Zoo is turning to Facebook to find the most fitting monikers.
Sodexo Wins Foodservice Contract for the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Part of the mission of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., is to provide exciting and enriching experiences for approximately 2 million annual local, national and international Zoo visitors. As the National Zoo's new foodservice partner, Sodexo, leader in Quality of Daily...
Elderly Oryx Dies at Smithsonian's National Zoo
The National Zoo's 21-year-old female scimitar-horned oryx ( Oryx dammah), Liberty, was euthanized this morning. A final pathology report will provide more information, but her health had been in decline for several months. National Zoo visitors can see two young male scimitar-horned oryx on exhibit...
On St. Patrick's Day, National Zoo Animals Find Treats at the End of the Rainbow
With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, animals--and their keepers--at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Cheetah Conservation Station got into the holiday spirit. Animal care staff and aides created enrichment items--a paper-Mache mouse and Leprechaun hat--for maned wolves Siete and Diamantina...
Rare Guam Rails Hatch at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
As Washington, D.C's unseasonably warm winter turns into spring, a baby boom is underway at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Two Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni) chicks hatched March 3 and 4; they join six others in the Zoo's collection--three of which live at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology...
Tickets for ZooFari at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on Sale Now
Tickets are now on sale for ZooFari—D.C.'s foodie event of the year that drives diners wild. Food aficionados are invited to unleash their taste buds and sample delicious dishes from the area's finest restaurants and vintners. ZooFari, hosted by Friends of the National Zoo, will be held May 17 from...
New Zealand Ambassador Names National Zoo Kiwi Chick
The third female brown kiwi that hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Dec. 11 has a new moniker: Omana (pronounced oh-MAH-nah). Mike Moore, New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, named the kiwi in honor of his hometown, O-Manawatere, a township located southeast of Auckland. Omana's...
Make Waves with Project Blue Planet to Save the Oceans 2/21/2012
It's easy to feel small in the face of large environmental problems like oil spills or air and water pollution, but kids can make a big difference. How? By entering Project Blue Planet, a nationwide contest organized by the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Adorable Maned Wolf Pups Get a Medical Exam
The four maned wolf pups born Jan. 5 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., received their first vaccinations Thursday during a routine medical exam. SCBI veterinary technician Lisa Ware worked with animal care staff to perform the exams, insert identification...
Smithsonian Scientist Finds Obesity Risk Factors in Young Marmosets
Childhood obesity is a serious concern, with more than 18 percent of American 4-year-olds considered obese. A new study of marmosets, small South American monkeys, indicates that obesity may begin very early in life and suggests that marmosets may be a helpful model for obesity in humans. In the...
National Zoo Animals Steal Hearts This Valentine's Day
Where is the love this Valentine's Day? At the Smithsonian's National Zoo! Cuban crocodiles and giant Aldabra tortoises at the Reptile Discovery Center feasted on heart-shaped treats prepared by the Zoo's Nutrition staff. In the Bird House, a blue-billed curassow couple, a red-and-green macaw named...
Celebrate Valentine's Day at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Celebrate Valentine's Day at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Roche Supports the Smithsonian's National Zoo with Next-Generation Sequencing Instrument for Animal Conservation Research
Roche and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC announced today a collaboration agreement to use Roche's GS Junior benchtop sequencing system for research in SCBI's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics. SCBI's state-of-the-art genetics laboratory, based at the...
Top Ten Critter Cupids from the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Experts at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have proof that romance is not only for the warm and fuzzy; friskiness is a trait all animals share-be they furry, feathered or finned. Seduction techniques abound in the animal kingdom: Zoo staff recognize when reptiles are feeling rapturous and giant...
Four Maned Wolf Pups Born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Although 2012 has only just begun, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., already has something to celebrate in the new year: the birth of four maned wolf pups Jan. 5. It is the first litter born at SCBI-FR in two years and will play an important role in helping...
Tiger Conservation Partnership to Hold First Smart Patrol Training Course in Nepal
A fundamental change in the conservation strategy to save wild tigers may save them from extinction. That change is taking shape in regional smart patrol training courses in Asia led by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Tiger Conservation Partnership--one of the founding members of...
Woo Your Valentine at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Wooing is an art form whether you're human or animal. Take a walk on the wild side and learn about romance in the animal kingdom at Woo at the Zoo on Feb. 11, at the National Zoo. Think love has to be warm and fuzzy? Think again. Reptile Discovery Center animal keepers, Barbara Watkins and Lauren...
Last Chance to See the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Lion Pride Together
A big change is in the wind this winter for the lions at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The time when all magnificent seven juveniles can share a yard at the Great Cats exhibit is winding down, and animal care staff have begun preparations for separating the 1-1/2 year-old male juveniles from their...
Tiger Conservation Partnership to Help Stem Devastating Effects of Poaching
The survival of wild tigers hinges on the ability of tiger-range countries and their partners in conservation to stop the biggest threat to tigers: poaching. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, as one of the founding members of the Global Tiger Initiative and with support from the World...
New Giant Pacific Octopus at Smithsonian's National Zoo Gets a Name
Although giant Pacific octopuses are masters of disguise, the new octopus at the National Zoo revealed its true identity Saturday when a keeper helped it select its name: Pandora. The octopus had a chance to pick one of four names submitted by the finalists in the Washington Post's KidsPost naming...
Smithsonian's National Zoo Receives $4.5 Million to Fund Giant Panda Program
David M. Rubenstein donated $4.5 million to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo to fund the giant panda program for the next five years. In appreciation, the giant panda complex—home to giant pandas Tian Tian (male) and Mei Xiang (female)—will be named the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat...
National Zoo to Announce Significant Gift and 2012 Giant Panda Breeding Plans
The Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park will announce a generous gift that funds the giant panda program for five years. Animal experts have also witnessed the first signs of breeding season: Tian Tian (male panda) is “power walking.” Speakers will discuss details of the new 2012 breeding plan...
Forget the Partridge in the Pear Tree, Smithsonian's National Zoo Hatches a Kiwi
A member of one of the world's most endangered species—the brown kiwi ( Apteryx mantelli)—hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Bird House Dec. 11 at 10:25 a.m. The egg was laid Oct. 1 and keepers began looking for signs of the chick hatching starting in early December. The sex of the chick is...