Press Release Archive

Asia Trail keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Peaches, a 7-year-old female Asian small-clawed otter who was humanely euthanized March 11. Over the past eight months, animal care staff had been treating Peaches for a cancerous mass.

A female brown kiwi chick hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) Feb. 3 and is thriving after initially requiring veterinary care. The chick had difficulty hatching, and her legs appeared to be weak.

A scimitar-horned oryx, an elderly whooping crane and an Eld’s deer died at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) between Feb. 23 and Feb. 26.

Amani (Ah-MON-ee), an elderly cheetah living at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, was humanely euthanized Feb. 19.

On Feb. 23, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China hosted a housewarming party, sponsored by Airbnb, to celebrate the new exhibit for visitors inside the Zoo’s giant panda house.

Snow in Washington, D.C. today, Feb. 20, brought out the playful side of the giant pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China will host a housewarming, sponsored by Airbnb, to celebrate the new exhibit for visitors inside the panda house.

During the federal government shutdown from, Jan. 2 to Jan. 28, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s animal care team, almost all federal workers, reported to work and provided the same level of care for the Zoo’s animals as any other day. Read an overview of top...

Smithsonian’s National Zoo staff humanely euthanized Asha, a 1-year-old Dama gazelle, Dec. 22 after she suffered a neck injury by running into a fence in an off-exhibit area.

A new paper describes a dragonfly’s full life cycle for the first time. Insects are a critical driver of food webs, so figuring out why their populations are falling dramatically is important for the future success of a wide range of species.

Twelve whooping cranes, one of the most endangered species of crane in the world, moved to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, Dec. 16. The six mated-pairs will be the founding members of SCBI’s whooping crane research and breeding program, and the chicks that...

After months of anticipation, the naked mole-rat colony at the Small Mammal House at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo finally has a queen—the only breeding female in a colony.

Smithsonian scientists and partners in Florida and Curaçao have become the first to use cryopreserved (frozen) coral sperm to support gene migration of coral populations that would otherwise remain geographically and genetically isolated.

Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) are mourning the loss of Henry, a 4-year-old male red panda, who died overnight Dec. 5.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo visitors will have the opportunity to find gifts for family and friends at GRUMP, a European-style outdoor market, Dec. 7, 8 and 9 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. during ZooLights, powered by Pepco.

ZooLights, powered by Pepco, is bigger and brighter than ever this season! Celebrate the holidays at this annual free lights festival at the Zoo.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, welcomed a new fawn to its herd of endangered Eld’s deer Oct. 26.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and American Prairie Reserve are collaborating to protect and restore one of North America’s greatest treasures — the prairie.

For the first time, scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have successfully cryopreserved (or frozen) and thawed coral larvae from the mushroom coral.

Insect-eating birds that depend on high-calorie, high-protein cuisine (namely caterpillars and spiders) to feed their young are finding the menu severely lacking in backyards landscaped with even a small proportion of nonnative plants, according to a new study from SCBI.

Just one month after welcoming a male Dama gazelle calf, Cheetah Conservation Station keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo once again welcomed a new member to the herd. A female calf was born in an off-exhibit enclosure the morning of Oct. 9 to 9-year-old mother Fahima and 4-year-old father...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) welcomed a litter of three cheetah cubs Sept. 22. The cubs were born to first-time mother, Sukiri.

Primate keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Muneca, a white-cheeked gibbon who was humanely euthanized this morning.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has been awarded a five-year accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The accreditation certifies that the Zoo has met or exceeded the AZA’s standards for animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and...