News

What does it take to care for an Andean bear? In March, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) staff returned to Peru—the bears’ home turf—to share their expertise.

Why is this Asian elephant wearing a collar? He’s one of four pachyderms whose movements and behaviors are being tracked via satellite! This information helps SCBI scientist John McEvoy and partners understand the causes of human-elephant conflict and find solutions to help animals and people...

Sometimes, even top predators need a leg up in order to survive. The recent boom in Kenya’s human population prompted people to sprawl and build their homes on the savannah. As a result, increased competition among wildlife for territory, food, water and mates can spell trouble for many the animals.

When researchers discovered Craugastor evanesco in the rainforests of Panama, they called it the vanishing robber frog. Now, however, the species may have a fighting chance at a future thanks to the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, which in December became the first program to breed...

Breeding Birds Between (Coffee) Bushes La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia has two seasons: dry and wet. Even in the dry season, though, rainfall and cloud cover can be common, just like there are sunny days during the wet season. Some coffee farms simply cannot plant a lot of shade over...

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists are saving frogs with science. Release trials in the wild begin spring 2017. On Earth Day weekend, the Smithsonian is convening the Earth Optimism Summit, an event about the science that's working to solve complex conservation challenges around...

Extinct in the wild for more than 35 years, scimitar-horned oryx are back in their native habitat thanks to international collaboration and the power of science.

Smithsonian scientists have discovered two new gecko species, the Lenya banded bent-toed gecko and Tenasserim Mountain bent-toed gecko, in the little-studied lowland forests of Myanmar.

On April 4, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s nearly 7-month-old male Bornean orangutan, Redd, took his first trip on the O-Line carried by his mother, Batang. The 50-foot-high suspended cable track gives orangutans the choice and freedom to move between their yards at the Great Ape House and Think...

Keepers at the National Zoo’s Small Mammal House are mourning the loss of Zikki, a golden-headed lion tamarin who was humanely euthanized April 8. At 17 years old, Zikki was considered geriatric for her species.

The start of spring brought a cheetah cub boom to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, where two large litters were born over the course of a single week.

Overnight, keepers observed that Bei Bei was unsettled and may have experienced some nausea. Staff came into the panda house overnight to watch him more closely. Bei Bei was thoroughly checked by a Zoo veterinarian early this morning, and he appears to be perfectly fine. He is eating well and...

Three scimitar-horned oryx calves have now been born in the wild. Species reintroductions led by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Government of Chad began last year. SCBI ecologists collect behavioral data on the reintroduced oryx using satellite collars.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists have captured images of the first known images of a unicorn (Equus unicornu) in the wild.

Where do migratory birds go when they head south for the winter? To find out, students in the United States are partnering with classmates in Latin America as part of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s Bridging the Americas/Unidos por las Aves program.

Infant orangutans in zoos around the world, including Redd, can help their wild counterparts by simply showing their teeth.

The Smithsonian’s Global Health Program is conducting viral surveillance in Myanmar for the USAID|PREDICT program, a worldwide effort to detect viruses that may pose a danger to public health. The Global Health team is sampling at the Hpa An caves, an area bustling with local enterprise, religious...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s keepers are making their mark and sharing their animal care and husbandry expertise around the globe. Last November, elephant keeper Kayleigh Sullivan spent 10 days at a Wildlife SOS center in Agra, India teaching caretakers—called Mahouts—how to interact with and...

After a ten-year hiatus, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) repatriated three female Guam rails to their native Guam. The birds, referred to as ko’ko’ locally, departed Virginia on Sunday, March 19 and arrived in Guam early March 21.

After a ten-year hiatus, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute repatriated three female Guam rails to their native Guam. The birds, referred to as ko’ko’ locally, departed Virginia on Sunday, March 19 and arrived in Guam early March 21.

The Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, a partnership between George Mason University and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), is excited to be offering its popular course: Ecology and Conservation of Migratory Birds, from September 18-29, 2017.

Tian Tian is ready for breeding season. He is in full rut, which means that he frequently scent marks and can be very restless. Those are normal behaviors for a male panda readying himself for breeding.

Tool use by sea otters to break open well-armored food is not necessarily a family matter, according to a new study published this week by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and partners.

A recent paper by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists with the Center for Species Survival found that salamanders were larger in warmer parts of their range. The scientists also found that that body size increased significantly in places where the climate had become hotter and...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo has received good questions about the giant panda weaning process and recent behaviors exhibited by Bei Bei and Mei Xiang. The giant panda science and animal care team put together this FAQ, which includes further context on maternal/cub and pre-estrus behaviors and...