News

Meet the loggerhead shrike—a beautiful songbird with a gruesome reputation for impaling its prey on thorns and barbs. More frightening than the “butcher bird’s” hunting habit is the reality that their populations are in steep decline. Since 2005, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)...

Get a taste of the challenges animal nutritionist Erin Kendrick faces as she formulates diets for all animals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Keepers can learn a lot about an animal’s needs just by monitoring its weight. But how do you weigh a wiggly ferret or get a full-grown elephant onto a scale? Find out in this update from primate keeper Erin Stromberg.

Rosalie’s five 3-week-old cubs have us smiling! Over the weekend, keepers did a quick visual check on the cubs and noticed at least one had some teeth. Read on for the full update and watch a sweet moment between mom and cub in this update.

Earlier this month, our black-footed ferrets slated for breeding centers and wild release departed Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute. This included Black-footed Ferret Webcam stars Potpie and her three kits. Read on to find out where Aster, Aspen and Swifty ended up!

Guam rails are small, speedy ground birds who can only fly three to 10 feet at a time. They are also only the second bird in history – after the California condor – to recover from being extinct in the wild. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is an active participant...

It was a busy week for Rosalie and her five cubs, as they moved back inside an artificial den and are back on the Cheetah Cub Cam. Animal care staff were finally able weigh each cub!

It seems that giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji inherited his mother Mei Xiang’s fondness for the scent of bubble bath. On an autumn day, keepers presented the pair with some suds to play in, and they went wild! Get the latest #PandaStory update from keeper Mariel Lally.

We’re leaping for joy and celebrating World Lemur Day at Smithsonian’s National Zoo! This special holiday—which takes place the last Friday in October—is the perfect occasion for learning all about our lemur friends.

Cuddle puddles are back! Cheetah mom Rosalie moved her five cubs back into the den with a webcam!

Animal care staff peeked in on Rosalie's five cheetah cubs in their new den of tall grasses.

Cheetah mom Rosalie has picked a new "den" for her cubs. She moved them, one by one, to a large clump of tall grasses in her yard. The area is well-protected and it is not uncommon for cheetah moms to move dens.

Rosalie’s cubs are 1 week old today and there’s only good news to report: they’re adorable, fat and happy.

For the first time in 16 years, Smithsonian’s National Zoo is celebrating the birth of golden-headed lion tamarin twins.

The lions and tigers who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 the week of Sept. 13 are recovering well. All are behaving, eating and drinking normally. Zoo animal care staff also administered the first round of animal-specific COVID vaccines to 11 animals Oct. 13.

Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, welcomed a litter of five cheetah cubs today.

The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 the week of Sept. 13 are behaving and eating normally.

On Sunday, Oct. 3, a 2-week-old male cheetah cub was transferred to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, and introduced to his foster cheetah family. Get the full story from cheetah reproductive biologist Adrienne Crosier!

A 2-week-old male cheetah cub from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, was transferred to a new cheetah foster mother at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, Sunday, Oct. 3.

Raise your trunks for the world’s largest land mammal: the elephant! Find out how animal keeper, Rebecca Riley, cares for Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd.

The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo continue to be treated for COVID-19. All tigers and lions, including the three lions noted of concern in the Sept. 24 update, are improving and eating.

"Shellebrate" land hermit crabs and take a behind-the-scenes look at how keepers built a habitat for these charismatic crustaceans.

Earlier this week, the 2-week-old cheetah cub we are temporarily hand-raising received a clean bill of health from the veterinary team! Get the full cubdate from biologist Adrienne Crosier.

Black-footed ferrets, North America’s only native ferret species, were thought to have gone extinct in 1979. On Sept. 26, 1981, a black-footed ferret was discovered on the Wyoming prairie. From that unlikely occurrence, an entire species began its comeback — one of the most remarkable conservation...

The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo continue to be treated for COVID-19. All tigers and three lions are eating normally and improving. Three lions are of greater concern.