News Archive

The cheetah cubs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and the U.S. Olympic sprinters have been demonstrating their speed and agility to the world, and now the fastest Americans share something else with the 3-month-old cubs: their names. In partnership with USA Track & Field, the Zoo named the cubs...

The National Zoo invites visitors to customize their Zoo experience with its first mobile app for iOS devices, now available from the App Store for $1.99. An app for Android platforms will be available in the next few weeks. With the swipe of a fingertip, smartphone users can access helpful tips for...

Special delivery at the Smithsonian's National Zoo today! A Dama gazelle was born to mom Adara and dad Raul this afternoon around 2:30 p.m. on exhibit. A few extremely lucky Zoo visitors witnessed the young gazelle's birth and first steps. Adara and her baby will be off-exhibit for the next few...

The two 3-month-old cheetah cubs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and the Olympic athletes have one thing in common: starting this week they will be showing off their speed, agility and raw, physical prowess. Just days before the opening of the Olympic Games, the Zoo is introducing the cubs to...

Prowl around the Great Cats exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on Global Tiger Day, July 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and meet the Zoo's newest tiger - Kavi. Kavi, an 11 year-old male from Zoo Atlanta, has joined females Damai and Soyono at the National Zoo. Special enrichment demonstrations...

With the recent hatching of two Cuban crocodiles, the National Zoo just got a little snappier! These feisty reptiles hatched July 6 and 14 and are among the most genetically valuable individuals in the Cuban crocodile population under human care.

With the lion cubs second birthdays rapidly approaching, we are starting to receive official recommendations from the African lion Species Survival Plan (SSP) about where the youngsters will start their adult lives. We recently confirmed that Aslan and Baruti will be heading to Calgary Zoo this...

For nearly 2 years, the Washington, D.C. area has watched the Smithsonian's National Zoo's seven young African lions ( Panthera leo) grow from playful cubs to majestic juveniles. Soon, Baruti and Aslan will start the next chapter of their lives at the Calgary Zoo, where they will eventually be...

By Stephen Schulze, Small Mammal House Keeper Along the southwest coast of Gabon lies a 32-kilometer strip (about 20 miles) of roadless savanna (less than five kilometers, or about three miles, at its widest) that is all but an island, abutting the Atlantic and sectioned from the mainland by three...

At 6 weeks old, the Smithsonian's National Zoo's two fishing cat ( Prionailurus viverrinus) kittens, a male and female, received a clean bill of health from Zoo veterinarians June 29. The veterinary team performed a complete physical exam, which includes: listening to the kittens' heart and lungs...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo welcomed two burrowing owl chicks May 24. When they hatch, the chicks are helpless and their eyes are closed. By age 2 1/2 weeks, the chicks are able to control their body temperature and begin to emerge from their burrows to beg for food. At 3 weeks old, they begin...

The National Zoo's senior male gray seal, Gunnar, died June 22. Keeper and veterinary staff had been managing his declining health for several months. A final pathology report will provide more information. He was 38 years old.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is inviting its Facebook fans to answer the call of the wild by naming one of the Small Mammal House's loudest and most charismatic critters: a baby black howler monkey ( Alouatta nigerrima).

Conservation is always on tap at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, and guests are invited to raise their beer glasses in support during Brew at the Zoo. Hosted by Friends of the National Zoo, the popular event will take place this year on July 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. More than 40 microbreweries will...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is closer to cracking the code for breeding one of Asia's most elusive species with the birth of two fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus).

Scientists from the Smithsonian and colleagues have found that waterbird communities can be the canary in the coal mine when it comes to detecting the health of urban estuary ecosystems.

Two research papers published this spring by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists and partners will form the building blocks for conservation biologists to take action in saving canid species on two continents. The work on African wild dogs and dholes, or Asiatic wild dogs, brings...

At 6 weeks old, the Smithsonian's National Zoo's two cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus) cubs received a clean bill of health from Zoo veterinarians June 7. The veterinary team performed a complete physical exam, which includes: listening to the cubs' heart and lungs; checking their mouth, eyes, legs, feet...

First of all, here is a Guntur update for all his many fans. He is doing very well in Zoorasia and has made his big debut. It rained for his first public appearance in Yokohama, but since his name means "thunder" this was taken as a good sign. Those of you who have been following Guntur from the...

A six-year-old male brown kiwi ( Apteryx mantelli) named Manaia died Saturday, May 26, at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. He had not exhibited any warning signs of clinical illness.

Three weeks after their unconventional and rocky entrance into the world, two 3-week-old cheetahs were transported May 18 to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in good health, thanks to the hard work and swift actions of animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal...

When Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute postdoctoral fellow Ben Hirsch found that juvenile ring-tailed coatis regularly attack stronger, older coatis and often even receive help from adult females, previous studies about how related animals treat one another could not predict his next...

The National Zoo will close early today in preparation for ZooFari (6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.). The lower half of the Zoo, from the Small Mammal House down, will close at noon. The outdoor giant panda exhibit will close at 2 p.m., and the entire Zoo will close at 4 p.m. Last admittance to the Zoo is at...

A family group of Asian small-clawed otters arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo this spring!

As new development projects take over pristine wilderness, national parks provide some of the last safe havens for wildlife. But Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists have found that the very infrastructure that supports the parks can result in easier access to the wildlife the parks...