News Archive

In April, the commissary team was busy creating colorful ice cakes for giant pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji in celebration of the 50th anniversary of giant pandas at the Zoo.

When female Asian elephant Swarna joined our herd in May 2014, her routine tooth exams showed an unusual shape and wear pattern on her teeth. Elephant dentistry specialists joined the Zoo’s team to remove the culprit tooth.

To commemorate 50 years of unprecedented achievement in the care, conservation, breeding and study of giant pandas, the Smithsonian's National Zoo’s in-residence giant panda family—Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and cub Xiao Qi Ji received specially tailored fruitsicle cakes in honor of the “pandaversary.”

Did you know that all animals have trillions of microscopic bacteria living inside them? These communities of microbes, known as microbiomes, play an important role in keeping animals healthy.

Presentation of panda-friendly fruitsicle cakes to giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji, his mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian.

On April 5, the D.C. Council passed a Ceremonial Resolution declaring April 2022, “Giant Panda Month” in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s giant panda conservation program.

To celebrate 50 years of giant panda care, collaboration and conservation, we’ve curated a collection of cute Giant Panda Cam moments from the past decade that connected viewers with nature, sparked pure panda joy and broke the internet.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (SNZCBI) and National Head Start Association (NHSA) have announced today, March 31, a yearlong partnership to provide free nature- and conservation-based learning opportunities about SNZCBI animals to young children in Head Start...

On April 16, the giant panda team will celebrate an enormous milestone—the 50th anniversary of our giant panda program! For giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji, another important milestone is approaching: weaning.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute will celebrate 50 years of unprecedented achievement in the care, conservation, breeding and study of giant pandas April 16. Today is National Panda Day, a fitting start for the Zoo’s six-month-long celebration for its visitors and...

Enjoy these 50 facts about giant pandas in honor of the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Giant Panda 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Don’t be put off by Fofo’s prickly appearance! As his name implies, our prehensile-tailed porcupette is as “cute” as can be! Get to know Fofo in this Q+A with Small Mammal House keepers.

Do snakes have ears? How well can they see? How do scales help them slither? Get the scoop on your friend, the snake, from Reptile Discovery Center keeper Robin Saunders!

The cool new couple at Gibbon Ridge are smart, sweet and specialize in singing duets — meet siamangs Adi and Guntur!

With a seal of passion for pinnipeds, American Trail keeper Diana Vogel dives into how she cares for harbor seals!

We’ve answered some of the most-searched questions about ostriches to get you better acquainted with these big, flightless birds.

Earlier this week, giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji went treasure hunting in a tree for some fun puzzle feeder enrichment! Get the latest #PandaStory update from assistant curator Laurie Thompson.

Say hello to our newly named cheetah cubs and don't miss an adorable video of Rosalie and the cubs purring and cleaning each other! Read on to find out what our cheetah family has been up to in this Cheetah Cubdate from Adrienne Crosier.

Bird House keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Alice, a female Stanley crane who died Jan. 28 during surgery to correct a limb deformity she had developed. She was 7 years old.

We are sad to share that Betty, our “matriarch” flamingo, was found deceased in her habitat Jan. 25. At 67 years old, she was the oldest Caribbean flamingo in the North American population.

The countdown to the Guam kingfisher’s reintroduction to the wild has begun. Before these birds, also called siheks, can soar over the Palmyra Atoll, scientists need to determine which harness materials can carry a tracking device and stand the test of time.

Snake-necked turtles look like creatures from fantasy—they’re a little weird and a little whimsical, but they’re beautiful, too. Last October, our Reptile Discovery Center team welcomed four snake-necked turtle hatchlings, the species’ first offspring at the Zoo in 9 years.

At around 8 feet tall, the newest resident at the Cheetah Conservation Station towers over her cheetah, red river hog and sitatunga neighbors. Meet Linda, a 4-year-old ostrich who arrived at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in November.

On Jan. 26, 2022, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo held a meeting with new Zoo Director Brandie Smith and the Zoo Neighborhood Council (ZNC). Detailed minutes of the meeting follow below.

A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution found that widespread restoration of bison to Tribal lands throughout the Northern Great Plains can help restore the prairie ecosystem while improving the long-running issue of food insecurity and food sovereignty for Native Nations and may...