PLUMP AND FEISTY: Baby Panda at National Zoo adds 2 Inches to Waist, Turns 8 Weeks Old

When mama bear Mei Xiang left the den yesterday to eat a fruitsicle (frozen treat made from diluted apple juice), zookeepers were able to retrieve the cub for a quick exam.

To read more on this story, click here: PLUMP AND FEISTY: Baby Panda at National Zoo adds 2 Inches to Waist, Turns 8 Weeks Old

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Last Night Around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang Placed the Cub on the Floor of Her Den for Just a Few Seconds

From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo:

“Giant panda Mei Xiang continues to exhibit excellent maternal care and is attentive to her cub. Regular, loud cub vocalizations are signs of good health and music to the panda team’s ears!

Last night around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang placed the cub on the floor of her den for just a few seconds, giving all of those watching the Panda Cam a fantastic view of her growing cub. It let out a few hearty squeals, and Mei Xiang immediately picked the cub up, cradled it and gave a few comforting licks.”

To read more on this story, click here: Last Night Around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang Placed the Cub on the Floor of Her Den for Just a Few Seconds

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Columbus Zoo Releases New Photos Of Cheetah Cubs Born Through In Vitro Fertilization

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The Columbus Zoo says two cheetah cubs born through in vitro fertilization are continuing to grow and do well.

The cubs are the first-ever born through in vitro fertilization.

According to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the cheetahs are now being reared by the zoo’s animal care team after checkups indicated the female cub was not gaining enough weight.

To read more on this story, click here: Columbus Zoo Releases New Photos Of Cheetah Cubs Born Through In Vitro Fertilization


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Orangutan Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

For the first time in 25 years, primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a male Bornean orangutan. He was born at 8:52 p.m. Sept. 12. Both 19 years old, female Batang and male Kyle bred in January following a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP). Primate staff have confirmed the newborn is a male. Animal care staff have observed Batang nursing the infant who has been clinging closely to his mother, and they are cautiously optimistic that the newborn will thrive. The Great Ape House will remain closed to provide Batang a quiet space to bond with her infant.

Animal care staff believe that Batang had successfully conceived Feb. 2, based on a human pregnancy test. They confirmed pregnancy with a subsequent ultrasound. The Zoo announced Batang’s pregnancy June 14 through a Facebook Live broadcast of one of her ultrasounds. Over the past 12 weeks, the Zoo has provided weekly updates on Batang on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #OrangutanStory and will continue to share behind-the-scenes photos and videos as news breaks.

“Each and every birth of a critically endangered species is significant, but it is all the more exciting and this is a historic moment for our Smithsonian’s National Zoo,” said Meredith Bastian, curator of primates and member of the Orangutan SSP Steering Committee. “I am very proud of Batang and my team. Ever since we received the breeding recommendation, they have dedicated themselves to preparing Batang for motherhood. I look forward to watching the infant experience everything for the first time—especially meeting the other orangutans and going outside for the first time with Batang.”

For the past three years, keepers have been acclimating Batang to the experiences of motherhood and training her to care for an infant. Building upon behaviors Batang has learned through routine training sessions, keepers have trained Batang to hold a baby upright, present it to keepers for bottle feedings and place the baby in a specially designed box when asked. This training enables staff to retrieve the infant if medically necessary and evaluate its health in a way that is safe and not stressful for the animals.

To read more on this story, click here: Orangutan Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo


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Washington, DC - Smithsonian National Zoo Has Announced That the Red Pandas Are Back on Exhibit in the Nation’s Capital

Smithsonian National Zoo has announced that red pandas are once again on exhibit in the nation’s capital, after a two-year absence.

For now, male Tusa and female Asa, both 1 year old, will be on display at the zoo’s small mammal house. The ginger cuties will move at a later date into swanky new digs -- boasting indoor heat, air conditioning, new perches, and plenty of quiet -- now under construction for them on the larger "Asia Trail" red panda exhibit.

The zoo’s previous pair of red pandas, Shama and Rusty, were transferred to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) two years ago this month, so they could breed. The couple did produce three cubs in June 2014, but, sadly, Shama died soon after they were born.

Rusty, however, is “thriving” at the SCBI, according to zoo staff. The clever male made a name for himself in June 2013 when he staged a very public, and Internet-viral, escape to the streets of D.C.

While Tusa and Asa will call D.C. home, their species — listed as endangered on the IUCN’s “red list” of threatened species, with fewer than 10,000 thought to remain in the wild — is native to Nepal, China, Bhutan and India. SCBI has long studied the adorable animals.

“We’ve made a commitment to study red pandas,” said curator Steve Sarro in a release, “and we hope that they inspire the public to help us conserve this endangered species and their habitat for many generations to come.”

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Panda Cub Bao Bao, Reaches 18 Month Milestone Today: Will Soon Live Separately From Mom

Washington, DC - Bao Bao was born on August 23, 2013, at the National Zoo. Giant pandas are an endangered species, and are protected in part by conservation efforts at reservations and in zoos such as the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. Giant Panda births are rare.

She is has reach a major milestone at the National Zoo and will soon begin living separately from her mother.

18 months old, is the age when panda cubs stop nursing and start living separately from their mothers.

The zoo says Bao Bao began the weaning process naturally a few months ago. She is now eating significantly more bamboo and other solid foods. Bao Bao eats separately from her mother and spends about six hours each day separated from her mother.

The zoo's panda team expects the weaning process will be complete in early March, and Bao Bao will be living on her own.

Zoo veterinarians also say panda mother Mei Xiang is in good health.

Baby Panda Bao Bao Melting Hearts at National Zoo
Baby panda Bao Bao has had her public debut at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo, with hundreds lining up for a glimpse of the five-month-old. WSJ's Neil Hickey reports on how Bao Bao is coping with the public adulation.




Wild Inside the National Zoo: Bao Bao's First Year
In the first episode of our web series, Wild Inside the National Zoo, we track a year in the life of the zoo's biggest star.




Bao Bao's First Snow Day!
Jan. 6, 2015—As the year’s first blanket of snow coated the Washington, D.C. area today, giant panda Bao Bao spent much of the morning playing in it for the very first time. The sixteen month-old panda cub tumbled down the hill in her outdoor enclosure, climbed trees and pounced on her mother Mei Xiang.


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Two Andean Bear Cubs Born at the National Zoo

An Andean bear has given birth to two cubs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Zoo officials say the mama bear, 8-year-old Billie Jean, gave birth to the baby bears this week. Their father is a 21-year-old bear named Cisco.

Zookeepers are monitoring the new family via closed-circuit cameras to give them their space. That's so Billie Jean can quietly nurse and bond with her young.

Zookeepers say the cubs are just one of four Andean bear litters born in North America in nine years. Andean bears are considered a vulnerable species, with an estimated 2,000 left in the wild. FOLLOW US!

Bao Bao Beats Smithsonian Competitors in #SIShowdown

Perhaps the biggest local Twitter battle in the last week is now officially over. Giant panda cub Bao Bao has emerged victorious in the Smithsonian Summer Showdown or #SIShowdown.

The Smithsonian National Zoo tweeted on Tuesday, "Bao Bao got an early B-day present; she's been crowned "most iconic at the @Smithsonian #SIShowdown. Thanks to everyone for voting!!"

who turns 1 year old on Saturday, beat out 24 contenders to be named the "most iconic in the Smithsonian." She swept the science category, and challenged the Star Spangled Banner Flag, the Landsdowne portrait of George Washington, and the Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Your Land" for the title.

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National Zoo Elephant Plays the Harmonica

In Washington, DC, a 36-year-old Asian elephant named Shanthi is developing her musical talents by playing harmonicas and other instruments within the reach of her trunk.

In a video released Wednesday by the Smithsonian's National Zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ in Washington, Shanthi has a harmonica attached to her stall and plays tunes even when no humans are around.

Elephant keeper Debbie Flinkman says Shanthi is musically inclined, playing her own songs that always have a big crescendo at the end. Shanthi also likes to tap things, flap her ears against objects to make noise and rub her leg up and down shrubs to repeat noises.

Flinkman says she doesn't make Shanthi play the harmonica. It's something she enjoys.
Shanthi was a gift from Sri Lanka and is the mother of 10-year-old Kandula.

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Smithsonian's National Zoo, Washington, DC - Two Young Otters Died from Dye Used for Identification Purposes

Two young otters died Thursday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/, and officials believe they passed after ingesting dye used on their fur for identification purposes.

The Zoo said the young adult Asian small-clawed otters were among seven that received routine quarantine exams, during which they received contraceptive implants. Officials said that they were reintroduced to the 13-member family and appeared to be eating and acting normally.

However, later that afternoon keepers said they noticed that two of the otters showed discomfort while moving and were taken to the Zoo's hospital for treatment. They later died.

The Zoo said a preliminary necropsy suggested that the otters had methemoglobinemia, a condition affecting oxygen transport by the blood, which caused liver and kidney failure.

The Zoo said in a release that the most likely cause of death is ingestion of the dye.

More from the Zoo's release:

This dye has been routinely used by wildlife researchers and professionals on birds, marine mammals, small mammals and ungulates among many others. The National Zoo has used the product for more than three decades on numerous species without incident, including golden lion tamarins, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets and the previous group of otters that lived on Asia Trail.

Zoo officials said the excess dye was cleaned off the other otters, and all 11 remaining otters appear to be acting normally. They will remain in quarantine.

The Zoo said it has ceased using the dye.

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