The Animal Care Stories That Shaped 2025 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

If you're an animal lover, then 2025 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute must have felt like the gift that keeps on giving. From panda arrivals to pregnant elephants — and so much in between — there were so many amazing moments to get excited about this year. With so much to celebrate, we couldn’t possibly cover every standout story in one blog. So we’ve gift-wrapped a few short highlights that sum up our year in animal care:

A Star-Studded Welcome

Smokey Bear. Ham the Space Chimp. Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling. Not many animals reach celebrity status, but it’s a bit of a tradition here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. In January, we rolled out the bamboo carpet to welcome our newest animal icons, giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao. 

But pandas weren’t the only VIPs to arrive this year. Animal care staff welcomed Vostok and Coba (pronounced SOH-vah), a male and female pair of Amur tigers. Since then, our teams have been working hard to help the new cats feel at home. 

Wondering who else joined the Zoo family in 2025? Meet the new bat-eared foxes, Canada lynxes, alpacas and sailfin lizards.

The Zoo’s Bird House might be one of the premiere destinations in North America to see avian conservation in action, but protecting birds takes more than one beautiful building. This year, we installed bird visibility decals on thousands of feet of window glass throughout the Zoo, making great strides (or should we say flaps?) in our effort to make our grounds safer for migratory species.

Watch the story here:

If you ask us, the Bird House is one of the nation’s finest destinations for learning about migratory bird conservation—but you don’t have to take our word for it. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums gave the exhibit top honors at an award ceremony held this September. 

It’s one thing to feed and care for the 2,100 animals living at the Zoo. It’s another to see them thrive. 

From the largest elephants to the tiniest frogs, our animal care and vet teams worked tirelessly to deliver round-the-clock checkups, treatments, and exams to ensure our animal residents are living their best lives. One standout story involves a unique chemotherapy regimen given to a leaf-tailed gecko battling skin cancer. 

On a bittersweet note, we said goodbye to some deeply loved Zoo residents, including California sea lion Nick, orangutan Kyle, and our one-eyed rescue opossum, Basil. They will be missed.

We didn’t just care for animals this year — we connected with people, too. Over the spring and summer, we welcomed thousands of Zoo visitors to free events like International Cat Day, Amphibian Week and World Farm Animal Day. 

And our incredible education team hosted dozens of nature play sessions and virtual lessons, inspiring countless students and creating teachable moments with our animals and staff.

Learn more: Little Critters Nature Play

In the fall, a federal shutdown prompted the closure of the Zoo and the cancellation of our beloved Halloween events. While our gates were closed to visitors, our animal care and volunteer teams continued to deliver round-the-clock meals, habitat cleanings, and health checks to the Zoo's residents.

But some of our more curious critters still craved their old routines… including the crowds of admiring visitors. When pale-headed saki monkey Mabel seemed to miss her daily people-watching, the Small Mammal House team found a creative way to connect her to the outside world—by bringing her a tablet tv!

Science Is a Team Sport

Our scientific approach to saving species might start at our campus, but it doesn’t end there. This year, we partnered with zoo professionals around the world to advance the welfare practices that help animals thrive.

Our in-house lab continued to lead the way in the fight against elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), a virus that’s one of the leading causes of death among elephants. The lab team, headed by researcher Erin Latimer, provided diagnostic EEHV testing for afflicted elephants at conservation facilities—playing a key role in a collaborative network that could one day put a stop to this deadly disease. 

We also took to the skies to share our animal management savvy around the world. A cadre of experts from our Department of Nutrition led workshops and training sessions in China, Paraguay, and right here in Virginia. More than 150 international zoo professionals had a chance to learn from our staff—and we learned from them, too!

It was a banner year for babies at our conservation research campus in Front Royal, but staff at the Zoo welcomed plenty of new arrivals, too. In July, a litter of five tiny lesser tenrec babies rolled their way into our hearts. Meanwhile, still-growing youngsters like western lowland gorilla Zahra and Allen’s swamp monkey Edgar continued to delight visitors with their oh-so-adorable antics. 

The Bird House team also welcomed dozens of fluffy chicks, including a historic hatching of northern shoveler ducklings—the first at the Zoo since 1908. Many of the hatchlings (which included a whopping 65 ducklings!) have since waddled off to other zoos and wildlife centers.

The biggest baby update of all? In November, the elephant keeper team announced 12-year-old female Nhi Linh is pregnant, with a calf expected in early 2026. (Stay tuned for news!)

These heart-melting arrivals didn’t happen by chance—they’re the result of careful, science-based breeding efforts led by our population management team. Learn how we play matchmaker for endangered species.

None of these amazing stories would have been possible without support from our dedicated Zoo members, donors, and visitors. Thank you for helping us continue our work to save species.

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