Press Release Archive

Not a trick, only the sweetest treat: Boo at the Zoo, the beloved family-friendly Halloween event at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, sponsored by Mars Wrigley Confectionery, is back Oct. 28, 29 and 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

For the first time, Bird House keepers at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are celebrating the hatching of two critically endangered blue-billed curassows.

This morning, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute celebrated giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji’s second birthday.

The Zoo’s giant panda cub, Xiao Qi Ji, will celebrate his second birthday Aug. 21 with a specially tailored fruitsicle cake.

In recent decades, global forest tree growth has dramatically slowed the pace of atmospheric carbon dioxide accumulation and climate change.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., raise your glass for conservation and enjoy unlimited tastings from more than 45 breweries and cideries.

For the first time, a tropical sea urchin — a species intrinsically linked to the long-term health and survival of coral reefs — was grown successfully from cryopreserved embryos.

Kids’ Farm keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are mourning the loss of Rose—a 19-year-old female Hereford who was humanely euthanized July 25.

We want to let you know about an incident that occurred at a company that we use to send email communications to our community about our programs and events. The company, WordFly, was the victim of a ransomware attack.

For the first time, a whooping crane—one of the most endangered species of crane in the world —hatched May 26 and is thriving at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia.

Prowl the new Claws & Paws Pathway exhibit opening to the public Friday, May 27. Visitors will encounter a North American porcupine, bobcats and the Zoo’s newest residents — binturongs and Pallas’s cats.

Staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are devastated and mourning the loss of 25 American flamingos and one Northern pintail duck killed by a fox yesterday in the Zoo’s outdoor flamingo habitat.

Cheetah Conservation Station keepers at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are rejoicing in the birth of two lesser kudu calves. For the second time in 6 months, Small Mammal House keepers are celebrating the birth of a golden-headed lion tamarin.

To commemorate 50 years of unprecedented achievement in the care, conservation, breeding and study of giant pandas, the Smithsonian's National Zoo’s in-residence giant panda family—Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and cub Xiao Qi Ji received specially tailored fruitsicle cakes in honor of the “pandaversary.”

Presentation of panda-friendly fruitsicle cakes to giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji, his mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian.

On April 5, the D.C. Council passed a Ceremonial Resolution declaring April 2022, “Giant Panda Month” in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s giant panda conservation program.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (SNZCBI) and National Head Start Association (NHSA) have announced today, March 31, a yearlong partnership to provide free nature- and conservation-based learning opportunities about SNZCBI animals to young children in Head Start...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute will celebrate 50 years of unprecedented achievement in the care, conservation, breeding and study of giant pandas April 16. Today is National Panda Day, a fitting start for the Zoo’s six-month-long celebration for its visitors and...

Bird House keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Alice, a female Stanley crane who died Jan. 28 during surgery to correct a limb deformity she had developed. She was 7 years old.

A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution found that widespread restoration of bison to Tribal lands throughout the Northern Great Plains can help restore the prairie ecosystem while improving the long-running issue of food insecurity and food sovereignty for Native Nations and may...

The Smithsonian is preparing for unprecedented staff shortages in the coming weeks due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. To accommodate these shortages, the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and the National Zoo will operate on a modified schedule from Wednesday, Jan. 5, through Monday, Jan. 17...

As the Arctic and the oceans warm due to climate change, understanding how a rapidly changing environment may affect birds making annual journeys between the Arctic and the high seas is vital to international conservation efforts.

Brandie Smith has been named the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, effective Nov. 9. Smith previously served as acting director of the Zoo beginning May 2021.

On Nov. 3, Small Mammal House keepers said goodbye to our last Geoffroy’s marmoset, Lilo. At 12 years old, she was considered geriatric for her species; typically, Geoffroy’s marmosets in human care live about 7 years.