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The Great Cats exhibit on Lion/Tiger Hill features Sumatran tigers and African lions—living, breathing, roaring great cats. They are ambassadors for their wild relatives, and for the Zoo’s conservation and science initiatives for tigers, lions, and many other cats, which, even if not great in size, are still great!

SheraLions at the Zoo

Exam and Training

African lion Shera had a routine exam in January and is in great health. Conducted in a specially designed cage, her exam included radiographs (x-rays), blood collection, and injection of routine vaccines. click toFind out more about Shera's exam, the Zoo's school for lions, and more in the latest keeper update.

Shera and Nababiep, another female lion, can be seen in their yard at Great Cats together. The Zoo's other two lions, Lusaka and Luke, are in separate yards. The lions are on exhibit at different times, and their schedules vary. The Zoo's great cats are on exhibit every day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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Watching a Sumatran tiger Two adult tigers and two of their cubs live at the National Zoo. Tigers spend most of their day resting and sleeping. In fact, resting comes before other activities like grooming and swimming.
Fun Facts About Cats | Support the Tiger Conservation Fund

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Tumai Returns to the Zoo

Tumai, female cheetah at the ZooTumai, an adult female cheetah, has been transferred from the Zoo's Cheetah Science Facility in Front Royal Virginia, to the Zoo's Cheetah Conservation Station. The facility is the center of the Zoo’s international cheetah research program in which scientists study cheetah biology to ensure good health, reproduction, and self-sustaining populations in zoos and in the wild. It also allows us to have cheetahs on our two campuses and rotate cats between them.

Tumai was brought to the Cheetah Conservation Station to help the Zoo's three young male cheetahs get a sense of a how a female signals interest in a male. Eventually, the hope is that one of the males will breed with the Zoo's other female, Amani.

Animal-care staff hope that she will breed with one of the Zoo's three cheetah brothers in the future. It will be up to Amani to choose which of the cheetahs, if any, she wants to breed with—the same type of breeding behavior that a female cheetah in the wild would display. click to Learn about cheetahs.

Lots of Cats

The Zoo's Cheetah Conservation Station is home to five cheetahs. Sumatran tigers and African lions live at Great Cats. Fishing cats and clouded leopards live on Asia Trail. Learn about cats at the Zoo.

Lions and tigers are on exhibit between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., daily (weather permitting).

Cat Conservation

African lionLarge or small, cats are graceful, specialized, and powerful animals. Yet, they are among the most endangered. Zoo conservation biologists are working with colleagues on lions’ home ground in Africa, and tigers’ in Asia, to develop the scientific understanding necessary for effective conservation. Zoo scientists are studying the ecology, behavior, and reproductive biology of tigers, lions, and many other cat species, including cheetahs, clouded leopards, and fishing cats. more

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