Read the latest keeper update and see recent photos of Kibibi, the Zoo's baby western lowland gorilla.
The Zoo's orangutans recently got a new cargo net, made from fire hoses by staff and interns, in their yard.
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Rheas, flamingos, kori bustards, and blue-winged teals are among the baby birds.
Check out a keeper update about Nikki and Billie Jean, spectacled bears at the Zoo.
Find out about these fascinating animals, native to Kenya and Tanzania.
Find out about these fascinating animals, native to Kenya and Tanzania.
Find out about her pseudopregnancy.
Find out about Happy the hippo's future.
Find out about the significant birth of a litter of clouded leopards at the Zoo's facility in Front Royal, Virginia.
Find out what's new with the Zoo's giant pandas.
Find out about the Zoo's acting director.
Find out about the Zoo's three-month-old gorilla's newest milestone.
Find out about the second giant anteater born at the Zoo in its 120-year history.
In January, 16 lemur leaf frogs arrived at the Zoo from the National Aquarium in Baltimore. They will be part of a new exhibit on amphibian conservation in Amazonia. Whenever any new animal comes to the Zoo, it stays in quarantine for at least 30 days. During this time, vets watch it very closely to make sure it’s not sick or bringing any pathogens into the Zoo’s community of animals. Because the risk of chytrid is so serious, this period is doubly important for the lemur leaf frogs.
Check out photos of the Zoo's orangutans and gorillas from St. Patrick's Day.
Find out about African lion Shera's recent exam, the National Zoo School for Lions, and lion Lusaka's lump in the most recent lion keeper update.
On January 10, a female western lowland gorilla was born at the Zoo's Great Ape House to mother Mandara and father Baraka. The newborn represents the seventh successful gorilla birth for the Zoo since 1991.
The baby joins siblings Kigali, Kwame, and Kojo, as well as Baraka's mother, Haloko, at the Great Ape House. All of the Zoo’s gorillas are remain on exhibit. Visitors can see them every day between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Read the final entry in Erika Bauer's Diary of a Zoo Leader in Training to get the inside scoop on working at the Zoo. Erika is the Zoo's first Fujifilm Curatorial Resident in Animal Care and provides a window into what it's like to work here in her monthly diary.
On January 9, the National Zoo's animal care team noticed increased interaction between our adult giant pandas, female Mei Xiang and male Tian Tian, including distinctive vocalizations that are associated with mating season. Staff immediately began monitoring Mei Xiang’s hormone levels in her urine, which allows them to predict the exact moment of ovulation.
The National Zoo is home to three pandas: male Tian Tian, female Mei Xiang, and their three-year-old cub Tai Shan. Zoo staff and throngs of public admirers watch over all three avidly. So when Tian woke up one morning with a red, swollen right eye, one of his keepers noticed immediately.
The Zoo introduced its newest member, a male red panda, Tate, to Shama, the Zoo's female red panda on February 6, 2009. Tate recently arrived from the Cape May Zoo in New Jersey. After a day's acclimation to his exhibit on Asia Trail, Tate was introduced to Shama and immediately exhibited breeding behavior. A birth for this pair would be significant for the Zoo -- red pandas are endangered and breed only once a year.