The Zoo's baby gorilla is six months old! Read the latest keeper update
Read the latest keeper update and see recent photos of Kibibi, the Zoo's baby western lowland gorilla.
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Learn about the orangutans' new enrichment item
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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Ever challenged by taking photos of animals in action?
For tips and techniques on taking great photos of animals in action, submit your question or commenn to us.
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What is the Migratory Bird Center's bird of the month?
Read about a large migratory shorebird that, unlike most migratory shorebirds, mostly stays in the United States to breed in salt marshes.Find out about the many recent hatchings at the Bird House
Rheas, flamingos, kori bustards, and blue-winged teals are among the baby birds.
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Read all about spectacled bear breeding and nest building
Check out a keeper update about Nikki and Billie Jean, spectacled bears at the Zoo.
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Smithsonian and World Bank Group announce tiger conservation program
The Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank Group announced on June 19 a new program under the Global Tiger Initiative to help stabilize and restore wild tiger populations and save this endangered species from extinction in their natural habitats.Read the latest keeper update about the baby giant anteater
The three-month-old old pup has been getting lots of exercise but hasn't mastered dismounting from his mother.Black and rufous giant elephant-shrews born at Small Mammal House
Find out about these fascinating animals, native to Kenya and Tanzania.
Black and rufous giant elephant-shrews born at Small Mammal House
Find out about these fascinating animals, native to Kenya and Tanzania.
Smithsonian scientists play a role in mitigating bird/airplane collisions
Find out how many teeth she has and what's newSee the latest clouded leopard cub photos
The cubs are nearly three months and are growing every day.Giant panda Mei Xiang is not pregnant
Find out about her pseudopregnancy.
Nile hippo to leave in late summer
Find out about Happy the hippo's future.
Get an update on clouded leopard cubs born at the Zoo's Conservation and Research Center
Find out about the significant birth of a litter of clouded leopards at the Zoo's facility in Front Royal, Virginia.
Tai Shan had a physical. Read all about it.
Find out what's new with the Zoo's giant pandas.
Steven Monfort named acting director of the National Zoo
Find out about the Zoo's acting director.
Read the most recent update about the Zoo's baby gorilla
Find out about the Zoo's three-month-old gorilla's newest milestone.
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Read a keeper update about the Zoo's baby anteater
Find out about the second giant anteater born at the Zoo in its 120-year history.
Spotlight on Vet Medicine: Frogs in Quarantine
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.
See how the Zoo's great apes went green for St. Patrick's Day
Check out photos of the Zoo's orangutans and gorillas from St. Patrick's Day.
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Check out the latest update from the Zoo's lion keepers
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.
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Baby gorilla is eight weeks old!
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 updates, watch a video, and see new photos!
Read the final Diary of a Zoo Leader in Training
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.
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2009 giant panda mating season began early at the Zoo
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.
Get the details and watch a video!
Spotlight on Vet Medicine: Sight for a Giant Panda's Sore Eye
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.
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Red panda debuts at Asia Trail
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.
Watch a keeper interview and see photos!
