News Archive

For the first time, a team from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's (SCBI) Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability collected photo evidence of an Andean bear (also known as the spectacled bear) in Peru's Amarakaeri Comunal Reserve using camera traps—automated cameras with...

The Small Mammal House recently welcomed a one-year-old male fennec fox named Charlie! He is on loan to the National Zoo from the Bronx Zoo as part of a Species Survival Plan breeding recommendation with 5-year-old female Daisy. Biologist Kenton Kerns shares the scoop on the Zoo's new fennec fox in...

By Lauren Augustine Our Chinese alligator built a large mound nest! She is using hay provided by keepers a few weeks ago. When we checked on her this morning she seemed to be guarding the nest. Because she is aggressively defending her nest, two keepers entered the exhibit to retrieve the eggs. One...

By Lauren Augustine Today one of our most endangered species, the Chinese alligator, started nesting! Around the back of the Reptile Discovery Center are three outdoor exhibits, one of which is home to the Chinese alligators. Keeper staff added a bale of hay to the exhibit in April to prepare for...

By using DNA extracted from sloth bear scat, a team of Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) researchers found that forest corridors between protected areas in the bears' native habitats are vital to maintaining a genetically diverse population. The team, including John Seidensticker...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is hosting two fun and educational events in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day.

By Lauren Augustine Rose, one of our three female Cuban crocodiles started nesting last week, though we don't expect any to hatch. She is enormous! She used her back legs to kick all the mulch, leaf litter and dirt in the exhibit into a large mound for her nest. This morning she looked as though she...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute received a very special delivery in February 2015 from the SVF Foundation: a 1,400 pound tank carrying more than 30,000 biomaterials! The "Smithsonian & SVF Biodiversity Preservation Project" aims to preserve and study the frozen germplasm (embryos...

A free-standing kiosk at the Smithsonian's National Zoo enables visitors to gain a better understanding of the impact of wildlife trafficking. As the exhibit travels around the Zoo, the content will change to pertain to animals in the Zoo's living collection. It will highlight the steps visitors can...

Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute ( SCBI) have generated mature sperm from frozen testicular tissue for the first time.

Our rambunctious 5-month-old Andean bear cub brothers Mayni and Muniri are on exhibit and on the move! Curator Craig Saffoe gives an update on the cubs in the latest Q & A. What are Mayni and Muniri's favorite activities? They both seem to love climbing to the top of the Mulberry trees in the yard...

After carefully monitoring the behavior of both its giant pandas and female Mei Xiang's (may-SHONG) hormones for weeks, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers performed two artificial inseminations within...

After carefully monitoring the behavior of both its giant pandas and female Mei Xiang's (may-SHONG) hormones for weeks, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers performed two artificial inseminations within...

Caitlin Burrell, research scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, returned from China last night April 20, with frozen giant panda semen that had been stored at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base's cryopreservation bank. The sperm may be used for an artificial insemination on the...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is mourning the loss of a 12-year-old female maned wolf named Salina, who died April 18. A histopathology report will provide more information in the coming weeks, though a necropsy revealed a large mass within her abdomen. The median...

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Calaya, a western lowland gorilla, is now on exhibit at the National Zoo. Keepers describe the 12-year-old female as confident and socially-savvy. She arrived at the National Zoo from the Woodland Park Zoo on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' western lowland...

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute scientists working together as part of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project opened a new safe haven for endangered amphibians today, April 8.

Bao Bao explored her new yard for the very first time this morning! She spent over an hour outside checking out her new digs. Keepers say that she was cautious at first (which she often is with new experiences), but explored every nook-and-cranny of the yard. She's still learning the lay-of-the-land...

Curious about Andean bear cubs Muniri and Mayni? Curator Craig Saffoe shares the scoop on the brothers in the latest Q&A. Check them out on exhibit every day at 10 a.m. (weather permitting). How do Muniri and Mayni's personalities differ? Muniri is the daredevil. He's more adventurous than Mayni and...

What is a tamandua? An arboreal anteater! Biologist Kenton Kerns shares the scoop on the Zoo's new female, Cayenne, in the latest Q&A. Check her out on exhibit in the Small Mammal House. What is Cayenne's personality like? Tamanduas are nocturnal, so it takes Cayenne a while to wake up. But once she...

May 10, 2015 Watch Wild Inside the National Zoo: Episode 10: Curious Cubs for awesome footage of Mayni and Muniri playing. YouTube embedded video: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wdgRN7oGCAA March 16, 2015 Can't decide what to name our Andean bear brothers? Let this video of the cubs...

The National Zoo's rambunctious and charismatic 19-week-old Andean bear cubs have names. In a poll conducted on the Zoo's website, fans elected to name Cub 1 Mayni [MY-nee], a moniker that in the Aymara language means "unique." The name selected for Cub 2 was Muniri [moo-NEE-ree], which means...

Brandie Smith has been named associate director of Animal Care Sciences at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., effective immediately. Since 2008, Smith has served as a senior curator of mammals and the curator of giant pandas at the National Zoo. In her new role, Smith will lead the...