News Archive

With their warm golden-hued eyes, coats that camouflage them in the tree canopy and cheery “chuff” greetings—there’s no denying clouded leopards’ charisma. Get to know our cats!

Meet the four clouded leopards who call the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute home. Pounce from Washington D.C. with Asia Trail keepers Kaitlyn Adkins and Jenny Spotten, to Front Royal, Virginia with animal keeper Jessica Kordell to learn more about these cool cats.

Say hello to Ariel! This sweet and social clouded leopard just joined the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s breeding program. She has the smarts to solve puzzle feeders and seems smitten with her beau-to-be, Ta Moon.

Asia Trail keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are mourning the loss of Mook, an elderly female clouded leopard who was humanely euthanized May 20 due to a recent and irreversible decline in health. At 18 years old, she was the eldest clouded leopard in the...

Chirping cheetah cubs, a birthday party fit for a gorilla and a Madagascar hedgehog tenrec indulging in some self-care with a dust bath—all of these events (and more) made for an eventful month.

Asia Trail keepers Jenny Spotten and Charlie Shaw discuss the Zoo's clouded leopard cubs' latest training triumphs.

As 2019 comes to a close, we’re continuing to reflect on some of this year’s biggest conservation success stories.

There’s no better activity for a fall day in D.C. than a trip to the Zoo. Crowds are smaller, days are cooler and changing leaves bring a burst of color to the park.

For the first time, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is home to rare clouded leopard cubs. The two cubs are the newest residents on the Zoo’s Asia Trail and will make their public debut Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Two rare clouded leopard cubs will make their media debut on Asia Trail. They are the first cubs to ever live at the Zoo.

Training sloth bears, making an otter puzzle feeder and researching red pandas by studying their poop. It’s all in a day’s work for animal keeper Tallie Wiles! Follow her story for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a day in the life of an Asia Trail keeper. Asia Trail is home to the Smithsonian's...

On March 1, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Nashville Zoo announced the birth of a male clouded leopard from an artificial insemination procedure using frozen/thawed semen. This accomplishment is a first for this species and a giant step for global...

Why do clouded leopards seem to have a tough time reproducing outside of their natural habitat? As wild populations continue to dwindle, conservation scientists are working against the clock to find successful artificial insemination methods. Two research biologists—Adrienne Crosier and Pierre...

Dr. Janine Brown, a researcher with SCBI and an expert on reproductive hormones, is spending a month in Thailand, lending her expertise to clouded leopard and elephant projects there. Brown is a reproductive physiologist and one of the world’s leading experts on elephants. She has been studying...

As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have used genetic analysis to find that the...

As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have used genetic analysis to find that the...

For clouded leopards, home is where the height is. After more than 30 years of studying clouded leopards, Zoo scientists have solved many puzzles about this perplexing species, starting with the biggest: figuring out just what a clouded leopard wants out of its habitat. It turns out that clouded...