News Archive

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is asking for help to name its female giant panda cub. Panda fans can vote for their favorite name on Smithsonian.com beginning today, Election Day, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. EST until Nov. 22. The winning name will be revealed at a ceremony Dec. 1, when the cub is 100 days...

WHAT:Two 13-week-old Sumatran tiger cubs, a male and female, will make their media debut and take a swim reliability test; their public debut is Nov. 18, weather permitting. WHEN:Wednesday, Nov. 6 Noon-12:30 p.m. WHO: Craig Saffoe, curator of Great Cats, Smithsonian's National Zoo Leigh Pitsko...

The cubs continue to grow and thrive. At this age everything can be a toy, including pine cones. This is the boy practicing his hunting skills with one while his sister watches. They had another round of vaccinations and as you can see in the picture of the girl, no one enjoys getting an injection...

This week's giant panda update was written by giant panda keeper Nicole MacCorkle. Mei Xiang is now venturing outside for breakfast, and is spending up to two hours away from the cub at a time. As the cub matures that time will increase, and eventually mother and cub will be comfortable spending...

The giant panda cub at the Smithsonian's National Zoo has gained almost another pound since Friday, Oct. 18, weighing in at 6.73 pounds (3.06 kilograms), and received her first vaccine at her veterinary exam this morning. Veterinarians reported that the cub is very healthy, and despite receiving a...

The giant panda cub at the Smithsonian's National Zoo has gained almost another pound since Friday, Oct. 18, weighing in at 6.73 pounds (3.06 kilograms), and received her first vaccine at her veterinary exam this morning. Veterinarians reported that the cub is very healthy, and despite receiving a...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is mourning the loss of Sable, one of its elderly Aldabra tortoises, who died Oct. 7, and a female wrinkled hornbill, who died at the Bird House Oct. 18. Veterinarians had been treating the female tortoise, Sable, for renal failure and an upper respiratory infection...

The shutdown has not affected the cubs at all—they didn't miss a beat! Each day they are getting bigger and bigger. They had a wellness exam on October 15, when they received routine shots and vaccines. The male cub weighs about 21 pounds and the female weighs about 19 pounds. Damai is spending more...

The gates at the Smithsonian's National Zoo will open to the public Friday, October 18! The live animal cams were turned off during the government shutdown, including the panda cams. The Zoo's Information Technology staff began the process of bringing the live animal cams back online Thursday...

The gates at the Smithsonian's National Zoo will open to the public Friday, Oct. 18 after the federal government shutdown. The live animal cams had also been turned off during the government shutdown, including the panda cams. The Zoo's information technology staff began the process of bringing the...

The Autumn Conservation Festival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6 is cancelled. SCBI is closed due to the federal government shutdown. The Festival will not be rescheduled. For further updates and information, please check Facebook, Twitter or the National...

The Great Ape House staff sent 19-year-old female western lowland gorilla Kigali to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas on October 16. She was born here at the National Zoo to Mandara and Gus in 1994. She had received a breeding recommendation with a male at Sedgwick from the Gorilla Species...

On Saturday, Mei came out of her den in the morning looking for food as soon as keepers arrived. That's the first time she's done that since the cub was born, which tells keepers that her appetite is returning to normal. Lately, she's been waiting until they place bamboo in her enclosure before she...

Draco, our cheetah who was losing weight, has gained a little weight and seems to be doing better this week! He showed a three-pound weight gain when he was weighed last week, and showed another weight gain when he was weighed this week. He has eaten his full allotment of food and medicine all week...

The panda team was able to perform another full veterinary exam on the cub today. Mei Xiang is routinely coming out of her den in the mornings to eat bamboo and drink. This morning when she left her den, the panda team closed the door that connects the den to her adjacent enclosure and retrieved the...

Mei Xiang has started putting the cub down for longer periods of time! Over the weekend and this morning when the keepers entered her den to continue their den-training routine, Mei placed the cub on the ground and focused on the keepers the entire time. She drank all the diluted apple juice keepers...

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) awarded National Zoo's Acting Curator of Birds Sara Hallager with three service awards at its recent national conference in Kansas City, MO. Hallager received two awards for 20 years of service in the role of AZA studbook keeper for the kori bustard as...

Our panda cub is 4 weeks old today — and what a difference a few weeks makes! Keepers say that it looks like she has eye markings shaped like Mei Xiang's and her back saddle is shaped like Tian Tian's. And she is growing exponentially. One of the keepers at her veterinary exam on Monday exclaimed...

With the help of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, the Socorro dove has returned home to Mexico! This spring Africam Safari, a zoo located southeast of Mexico City, celebrated the arrival of several Socorro doves, including two hatched here at the National Zoo. This critically endangered species is...

Our energetic sloth bear cub Hank is nine months old today! He enjoys exploring on his own and testing the limits with Hana and his keepers, but he's not yet fully independent from mom.The duo continues to have long play sessions, followed by naps. Hank now weighs in at around 90 pounds, so even...

As we mentioned last week Draco, one of our cheetahs, hasn't been eating and has been losing weight. As he isn't improving, the animal care team gave him a complete examination yesterday. During his examination, the team found that Draco was very thin, which reflects what animal care had observed...

The giant panda cub born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Aug. 23 received her first veterinary exam late yesterday afternoon and was given a clean bill of health. Mei Xiang, who has spent much of the past three and a half weeks cradling her cub, put her down and left her den at 4:11 p.m. The panda...

The giant panda cub born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Aug. 23 received her first veterinary exam late yesterday Sept. 16 and was given a clean bill of health. Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), who has spent much of the past three and-a-half weeks cradling the cub, put her down and left her den at 4:11 p.m...

Damai brings the cubs up to see Kavi most mornings now. Traveling around the building is a great way to develop their strength and coordination. We are even starting to see the cubs playing together. They are not very good at pouncing on each other yet, but it's a lot of fun to watch them try! They...

Regular Zoo visitors are probably familiar with the sight of our three cheetah brothers: Zabini, Granger, and Draco. One of the brothers, Draco, has never had a robust appetite. It's typical for cheetahs to lose weight in the spring and summer and to gain it again in the fall and winter. While he...