News Archive

This summer has been eventful for our youngest western lowland gorilla, Zahra, who will be 16 months old on Sept. 27. Read primate keeper Francesca Bozzo's update!

One year ago, our Primate team celebrated the much anticipated birth of a western lowland gorilla: Zahra!

At 10 months old, western lowland gorilla Zahra is healthy, feisty and eager to try new things. Get the latest update from Primates keeper Lynne McMahan.

Since her birth last May, our baby western lowland gorilla, Zahra, has grown and changed so much. Read the latest #GorillaStory update from keeper Carly Hornberger.

Our 7-month-old Western lowland gorilla Zahra is becoming quite the independent little lady... as long as she's not too busy stealing food from her mother!

In a little over a week, our western lowland gorilla infant, Zahra, will be six months old! Overall, she is doing great and has recently started going on many little adventures.

Our 5-month-old baby gorilla is experiencing her first autumn! Catch up with baby Zahra and her mother Calaya in this blog update from primate keeper Erin Stromberg.

There’s no better way to celebrate World Gorilla Day than with our adorable animal ambassador, Zahra! Keeper Lynne McMahan shares some of her favorite moments in this Q+A.

Our western lowland gorilla infant hasn't quite figured out how to crawl—but she's getting close! Read the latest #GorillaStory update from primate keeper Francesca Bozzo.

Our 2-month-old western lowland gorilla infant, Zahra, is very curious about the world around her. Get the latest #GorillaStory update from primate keeper Carolina Powell.

6-week-old baby gorilla Zahra is becoming more curious about the world beyond her mother's protective arms, writes primate keeper Lynne McMahan.

A new #GorillaStory has begun! Get the latest update on our 4-week-old western lowland gorilla, Zahra, from primate keeper Valerie Schultz.

After five days of public voting and just under 25,000 votes, the baby western lowland gorilla is named Zahra [ZAH-rah], which means “beautiful flower” in Swahili.

Starting today, June 5, western lowland gorilla fans will have an opportunity to vote on a name for a baby gorilla born May 27 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

For the first time in five years, primate staff are celebrating the birth of a western lowland gorilla—a critically endangered species. It was born between midnight and 6:15 a.m. May 27 to mother Calaya and father Baraka.

Every year on Sept. 24, we celebrate World Gorilla Day by teaching visitors about our ambassador apes and sharing ways to help their wild counterparts.

April, or Ape-ril, is a great time to recognize our apes because many of them celebrate their birthdays this month!

We rounded up the animal antics and species conservation stories that made us laugh, smile and cheer in 2021. Take a look back at some of our favorite moments caught on video.

Playing, foraging, training and snoozing—it’s all in a day in the life of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s western lowland gorilla troop!

How do you create a menu that is pleasing to the palates of giant pandas, flamingos and fishing cats?

How do animal keepers take a blood sample from an elephant or examine a big cat's teeth? Find out how training helps keepers care for animals that they can't share a physical space with in this update.

Today, our boisterous, intelligent and loving western lowland gorilla Moke turns 3 years old! Primate keeper Emily Bricker shares her favorite memories to celebrate Moke's big day.

Western lowland gorilla Baraka is serious about food. When primate keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo noticed he wasn't eating his meals, they wondered if his change in appetite masked something more serious. Go behind-the-scenes and see how staff cared for the Zoo's silverback!

Sept. 24 is World Gorilla Day, and we are celebrating with an update on our 2-year-old, Moke, and his troop!

A new genomic study ranks the potential of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor site in 410 vertebrate animals. Old World primates and great apes, which have identical amino acids at the binding site as humans, are predicted to have a very high propensity for binding ACE2 and...