News Archive

From the arrival of adorable chicks to award-winning excellence in animal care, much is brewing behind the scenes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

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.

For the past two years, the primate team has had the privilege of sharing the story of our western lowland gorilla infant, Moke, with Smithsonian’s National Zoo fans all over the world. With Mother’s Day coming up May 10, primate keeper Carolina Powell highlights Moke’s very first friend—his mom...

New research from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Shenandoah National Park finds that invasive species of forest insects and pathogens contributed to about a quarter of the tree deaths in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountain forests in the past three decades.

In this week’s #cubdate, we take you behind the scenes at a cub weighing!

Landscape ecologist Hila Shamon lives and works in Montana, where she studies the prairie and its wildlife. Over the last year and a half, she has been working with Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and other collaborators to develop a swift fox reintroduction program.

It was a busy week for Echo’s cheetah cubs! Not only did Echo move them to a new den, but keepers were able to weigh the cubs and determine their sex.

Join the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center online this World Migratory Bird Day, May 9, in a digital celebration of birds and simple actions you can take from home to help save them.

There are only 135 Guam kingfishers in the world, but scientists around the world are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.

Each year, more than 1,400 volunteers donate over 90,000 hours of their time to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. We appreciate them every single day, but this week, National Volunteer Week, is an especially great time to recognize their dedication.

As the primate team celebrates Moke's second birthday, keeper Alex Reddy reflects on the western lowland gorilla's growing independence, bold personality and training triumphs.

Today was a big day for keepers and cheetah cubs alike. For the first time, keepers were able to approach the four cubs born April 8. Learn more in this Q&A with cheetah biologist Adrienne Crosier.

Bird keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, are celebrating the arrival of a female white-naped crane chick that hatched April 2. She is the fourth chick for parents Brenda and Eddie and is the 46th to hatch at SCBI.

A brief #cubdate on cheetah Echo and her four newborn cubs. Watch them live on the Cheetah Cub Cam.

Researchers with the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program have discovered six new coronaviruses in bats in Myanmar — the first time these viruses have been detected anywhere in the world. Future studies will evaluate the potential for transmission across species to better understand the risks to...

Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, are about to welcome a litter of chirping cheetah cubs. Five-year-old female Echo is having contractions and birthed one cub already shortly after 11 a.m., which can be viewed via the Cheetah Cam.

As an animal keeper at SCBI, some of my favorite birds to work with are small but sassy. Guam kingfishers certainly fall into this category. We have three pairs to introduce during this year's breeding season, so we have our work cut out for us.

A supersized salamander recently debuted at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center. Get the scoop on these freshwater giants from keeper Kyle Miller.

Here at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, the carnivore team is gearing up for a very special arrival: cheetah cubs! As one of 10 facilities in the Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition, we study the behavior, biology, health and reproduction of these rare cats.

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

From flamingo courtships to weekly weigh-ins for the African lions, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is buzzing with beastly activity behind the scenes!

Smithsonian ecologists worked with American Prairie Reserve staff to fit bison with GPS ear tags. Their movement study will help researchers understand how bison move and use the landscape at the Reserve in Montana.

A special delivery of cheetah milk recently arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's milk bank (the largest milk repository in the world). Find out what researchers hope to learn from this unique milk sample.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo community is mourning the loss of Ambika, the beloved eldest member of its Asian elephant herd. She was humanely euthanized yesterday, March 27, following a recent and irreversible decline in her health.

Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are mourning the loss of two rare species—a cheetah and an Eld’s deer.