News Archive

As Washington, D.C's unseasonably warm winter turns into spring, a baby boom is underway at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Two Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni) chicks hatched March 3 and 4; they join six others in the Zoo's collection--three of which live at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology...

Scientists working to promote conservation in cultures around the globe may have an ally closer than they realize. A new study from the Tibetan region of China suggests that traditional religions have real on-the-ground benefits for local biodiversity—in other words, that non-scientific motivations...

Lion separations have been going smoothly, and we are ready to take the last step! Several weeks ago, Baruti, Aslan, and John started spending the night in their own set of dens, next to the females. Luke had moved a little farther away from the rest of the pride, but has been able to walk through a...

The third female brown kiwi that hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Dec. 11 has a new moniker: Omana (pronounced oh-MAH-nah). Mike Moore, New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, named the kiwi in honor of his hometown, O-Manawatere, a township located southeast of Auckland. Omana's...

It's easy to feel small in the face of large environmental problems like oil spills or air and water pollution, but kids can make a big difference. How? By entering Project Blue Planet, a nationwide contest organized by the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

The four maned wolf pups born Jan. 5 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., received their first vaccinations Thursday during a routine medical exam. SCBI veterinary technician Lisa Ware worked with animal care staff to perform the exams, insert identification...

Childhood obesity is a serious concern, with more than 18 percent of American 4-year-olds considered obese. A new study of marmosets, small South American monkeys, indicates that obesity may begin very early in life and suggests that marmosets may be a helpful model for obesity in humans. In the...

Where is the love this Valentine's Day? At the Smithsonian's National Zoo! Cuban crocodiles and giant Aldabra tortoises at the Reptile Discovery Center feasted on heart-shaped treats prepared by the Zoo's Nutrition staff. In the Bird House, a blue-billed curassow couple, a red-and-green macaw named...

Celebrate Valentine's Day at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Roche and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC announced today a collaboration agreement to use Roche's GS Junior benchtop sequencing system for research in SCBI's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics. SCBI's state-of-the-art genetics laboratory, based at the...

Everything went very smoothly with Guntur's move to Japan. He went right into his crate without any hesitation and seemed quite comfortable there. He did object when people got too close to his crate, but other than that he lay in his hay and waited to see what in the world was going on. As always...

By Lauren Augustine, Reptile Discovery Center Keeper at the National Zoo Eastern indigo snakes, Drymarchon couperii, are the largest nonvenomous snake in North America. They live in a variety of habitats depending on the region. They are beautiful, uniformly black but in sunlight they are remarkably...

Experts at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have proof that romance is not only for the warm and fuzzy; friskiness is a trait all animals share-be they furry, feathered or finned. Seduction techniques abound in the animal kingdom: Zoo staff recognize when reptiles are feeling rapturous and giant...

Although 2012 has only just begun, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., already has something to celebrate in the new year: the birth of four maned wolf pups Jan. 5. It is the first litter born at SCBI-FR in two years and will play an important role in helping...

A fundamental change in the conservation strategy to save wild tigers may save them from extinction. That change is taking shape in regional smart patrol training courses in Asia led by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Tiger Conservation Partnership--one of the founding members of...

Wooing is an art form whether you're human or animal. Take a walk on the wild side and learn about romance in the animal kingdom at Woo at the Zoo on Feb. 11, at the National Zoo. Think love has to be warm and fuzzy? Think again. Reptile Discovery Center animal keepers, Barbara Watkins and Lauren...

Ever since the lion cubs celebrated their first birthdays, things among the pride have remained status quo—but changes are on the horizon. Don't worry, no one is leaving right now. In fact, we don't have any relocation recommendations for the youngsters just yet. However, if you've visited during...

Having grown up in San Diego, Damai is experiencing her first real winter this year. We are glad that so far the weather has been relatively mild. Visitors often ask if we put the cats out in the winter. While Sumatra doesn't have the cold weather that we have here, our Sumatran tigers do adapt to...

A big change is in the wind this winter for the lions at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The time when all magnificent seven juveniles can share a yard at the Great Cats exhibit is winding down, and animal care staff have begun preparations for separating the 1-1/2 year-old male juveniles from their...

By Erin Stromberg, Great Ape Keeper at the National Zoo Late last year (2011) I got a phone call asking if I would like to go to Indonesia. Of course I accepted, and I am proud that this experience was made in part by one of my research demonstration with the orangutans at Think Tank. These...

The survival of wild tigers hinges on the ability of tiger-range countries and their partners in conservation to stop the biggest threat to tigers: poaching. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, as one of the founding members of the Global Tiger Initiative and with support from the World...

Although giant Pacific octopuses are masters of disguise, the new octopus at the National Zoo revealed its true identity Saturday when a keeper helped it select its name: Pandora. The octopus had a chance to pick one of four names submitted by the finalists in the Washington Post's KidsPost naming...

David M. Rubenstein donated $4.5 million to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo to fund the giant panda program for the next five years. In appreciation, the giant panda complex—home to giant pandas Tian Tian (male) and Mei Xiang (female)—will be named the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park will announce a generous gift that funds the giant panda program for five years. Animal experts have also witnessed the first signs of breeding season: Tian Tian (male panda) is “power walking.” Speakers will discuss details of the new 2012 breeding plan...

A member of one of the world's most endangered species—the brown kiwi ( Apteryx mantelli)—hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Bird House Dec. 11 at 10:25 a.m. The egg was laid Oct. 1 and keepers began looking for signs of the chick hatching starting in early December. The sex of the chick is...