Smithsonian National Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo News 2022

Zoofan15 said:
I would imagine the application was put in once pregnancy was confirmed - with the aim of transit taking place when they’re far enough along in the pregnancy to be out of the high risk of miscarriage zone; but no so far gone, transit is a strain on a heavily expectant mother.

Considering gestation is 22 months, this gives them a relatively wide window to work with - tying in with at least all of the second half of 2022 (if they indeed conceived late 2021).
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Both females are likely in the early stage of pregnancy; due in the summer of 2023. The middle of this year would probably be the perfect time to send both females; once the female has passed the high miscarriage timeframe and right before the pregnancy is too advanced to possibly place stress on the cow.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Interesting to note they hold a second older pair in Bradley and Ronnie nearby!
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Being such territorial animals, it would definitely amp up the calling between the two pairs.

Adelaide Zoo in Australia had two pairs up until recently and prior to that, imported several Siamang in the 1970’s.

Hamilton Zoo have a non breeding pair (elderly male and his granddaughter); kept seperate from a young male.
 
I visited the zoo today for my first time since 2019.
-First, in term of the white-eared titi. Henderson is indeed still alive and well. Kingston, his mate, passed away recently. Both are pretty old, Henderson is around 14-15 and Kingston was a few years older than him. They can live around 15-20 years. Henderson is technically off exhibit, but you can still see him from the Amazonia walkway if you look closely. The reason is that because monkeys are suspectible to Covid, they are eliminating guest contact since guests and the animals in Amazonia share the same space. His exhibit is located behind the pond with the arapaima.
-Both of the Ossabow Island hogs passed away, one died 6 months or so ago and the other one died a year and a half ago. Both were older into their teens and had cancer.
-Marla, the San Clemente Island goat, passed away a month or two ago. She was 13 and had recurring cancer, as well as dental issues that caused her to not want to eat a lot and not keep a good weight. However the cancer wasn’t the main cause of death, she was euthanized due to her dental issues. The zoo now just has two goats, Nigerian dwarf goats Fiesta and Fedora.
-A few changes to Reptile Discovery Center. Onyx the young Komodo dragon is in the Philippine crocodile exhibit, and the Philliphine croc is outside where the tomistoma used to be. The tomistoma is now inside where the gharial used to be, and a hound reticulated python is where the anaconda used to be. The gharial moved to another zoo, and the anaconda is off exhibit. The anaconda is well into her 40s close to 45, and she’s the oldest we know of in history. People have complained she is sick, she has tumors on her face and looks like an old snake. They moved her off exhibit a few years ago since visitors were complaining, and she does have some age-related health issues.
-Some changes in Small Mammal House. The female saki monkey passed away and they are looking for a new female for the male. The female agouti left to another zoo, and the male agouti is now with the Sami monkeys. With the baby porcupine, the porcupines are now split into three exhibits. Mom Beatrix and the new baby are in the usual prehensile-tailed porcupine exhibit, dad Quillbur was in his usual exhibits two exhibits over, and grandmother Bess is now by herself in a seperate exhibit in the center of the building. With Chiquita the tamandua arrived, she is by herself since they are not ready to breed yet, and Manny and Cayenne were in their usual exhibit. They hope to breed Chiquita and Cayenne, as Manny is very old and post-reproductive. Manny is 17 years old and the oldest tamandua in North America.
 
Kevin2342 said:
I visited the zoo today for my first time since 2019.
-First, in term of the white-eared titi. Henderson is indeed still alive and well. Kingston, his mate, passed away recently. Both are pretty old, Henderson is around 14-15 and Kingston was a few years older than him. They can live around 15-20 years. Henderson is technically off exhibit, but you can still see him from the Amazonia walkway if you look closely. The reason is that because monkeys are suspectible to Covid, they are eliminating guest contact since guests and the animals in Amazonia share the same space. His exhibit is located behind the pond with the arapaima.
-Both of the Ossabow Island hogs passed away, one died 6 months or so ago and the other one died a year and a half ago. Both were older into their teens and had cancer.
-Marla, the San Clemente Island goat, passed away a month or two ago. She was 13 and had recurring cancer, as well as dental issues that caused her to not want to eat a lot and not keep a good weight. However the cancer wasn’t the main cause of death, she was euthanized due to her dental issues. The zoo now just has two goats, Nigerian dwarf goats Fiesta and Fedora.
-A few changes to Reptile Discovery Center. Onyx the young Komodo dragon is in the Philippine crocodile exhibit, and the Philliphine croc is outside where the tomistoma used to be. The tomistoma is now inside where the gharial used to be, and a hound reticulated python is where the anaconda used to be. The gharial moved to another zoo, and the anaconda is off exhibit. The anaconda is well into her 40s close to 45, and she’s the oldest we know of in history. People have complained she is sick, she has tumors on her face and looks like an old snake. They moved her off exhibit a few years ago since visitors were complaining, and she does have some age-related health issues.
-Some changes in Small Mammal House. The female saki monkey passed away and they are looking for a new female for the male. The female agouti left to another zoo, and the male agouti is now with the Sami monkeys. With the baby porcupine, the porcupines are now split into three exhibits. Mom Beatrix and the new baby are in the usual prehensile-tailed porcupine exhibit, dad Quillbur was in his usual exhibits two exhibits over, and grandmother Bess is now by herself in a seperate exhibit in the center of the building. With Chiquita the tamandua arrived, she is by herself since they are not ready to breed yet, and Manny and Cayenne were in their usual exhibit. They hope to breed Chiquita and Cayenne, as Manny is very old and post-reproductive. Manny is 17 years old and the oldest tamandua in North America.
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With the reticulated python in the reptile house, I meant to say young, not hound. It was a typo
Eventually it will grow to be full size, as snakes grow throughout their lives.
 
Kevin2342 said:
The anaconda is well into her 40s close to 45, and she’s the oldest we know of in history.
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Is your source for this, "someone told me"? According to Guinness the oldest living snake is an anaconda in South Africa at just under 38 years old (in 2021). Also according to Guinness the oldest snake recorded was a Rainbow Boa at 42 years old.
 
Chlidonias said:
Is your source for this, "someone told me"? According to Guinness the oldest living snake is an anaconda in South Africa at just under 38 years old (in 2021). Also according to Guinness the oldest snake recorded was a Rainbow Boa at 42 years old.
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I asked a keeper why the anaconda is specifically off exhibit. She just told me that the anaconda is the oldest in history, and visitors have complained she dosen’t look well. Also what she meant by oldest in history, she meant just anaconda, not all snakes. The anaconda record in Guinness is incorrect. I don’t think they know of the anacondas from the US Zoos. If you would like to confirm this, you can email the National Zoo online. I do know of Annie the anaconda from South Africa who is 38, but Angus from the Philadelphia Zoo is 43, and the female from the National Zoo is slightly older.
 
Kevin2342 said:
With Chiquita the tamandua arrived, she is by herself since they are not ready to breed yet, and Manny and Cayenne were in their usual exhibit. They hope to breed Chiquita and Cayenne, as Manny is very old and post-reproductive. Manny is 17 years old and the oldest tamandua in North America.
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From what I've heard, Chiquita could be able to breed, but the not being ready part is more of having proper staffing in case they need to hand raise her offspring. Also, despite Manny being geriatric and exhibited with another male tamandua has not stopped him attempting to mate with Cayenne still! :p
 
blospz said:
From what I've heard, Chiquita could be able to breed, but the not being ready part is more of having proper staffing in case they need to hand raise her offspring. Also, despite Manny being geriatric and exhibited with another male tamandua has not stopped him attempting to mate with Cayenne still! :p
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Manny is doing really well, for his age, with no health issues. Recently they discovered Cayenne to be a male, they thought he was a female. Even if they attempt to mate, they wouldn’t have success 1. They are both males 2. Even by attempt, Manny being a geriatric tamandua his reproductive chances naturally are low. Once they are ready to breed they will put Chiquita and Cayenne together, and Manny by himself.
 
Asian elephant Swarna recently underwent a dental surgery, and had a tooth removed. A video was provided by the zoo's YouTube channel, showing the training, preparations, process, and recovery after the procedure.


When female Asian elephant Swarna joined our herd in May 2014, her routine tooth exams showed an unusual shape and wear pattern on her teeth. Recently, the 46-year-old appeared to have difficulty chewing her food properly. The elephant care team decided surgery was the best option for alleviating her ailment. Through comprehensive training, they acclimated Swarna to the steps of the dental procedure. This built her trust and confidence and helped minimize the stress she may have experienced. . . . Elephant dentistry specialists from the Colyer Institute joined the Zoo’s team to remove the culprit tooth. Since her surgery, Swarna has put on weight — a clear sign the elephantine-sized efforts were a success. Visit Swarna and our Asian elephant herd at the Elephant Trails exhibit.
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On April 27th, the zoo announced that on March 10th, (0.0.2) golden-headed lion tamarins were born. However, on March 17, one of the tamarins was separated from the mother and passed away.

Also, it was announced that (1.1) lesser kudus were born at the Conservation Biology Institute on February 21st and March 6th respectively. They were named Zahi and Jamilah.

Lesser Kudu Calves and a Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin Are Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
 
Smaggledagle said:
On April 27th, the zoo announced that on March 10th, (0.0.2) golden-headed lion tamarins were born. However, on March 17, one of the tamarins was separated from the mother and passed away.

Also, it was announced that (1.1) lesser kudus were born at the Conservation Biology Institute on February 21st and March 6th respectively. They were named Zahi and Jamilah.

Lesser Kudu Calves and a Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin Are Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
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The calves were actually born at the zoo, not the conservation biology institute.
 
I visited this zoo today. Great place.

I didn't see the Philippine Crocodile, is it supposed to be inside the reptile house? Didn't even see signage for it, the only crocodilians I saw were False Gharial and Cuban Crocodile inside and American Alligator outside by the front. Quite a few terrariums were empty in the reptile house and I'm not sure what was supposed to be there.
Many of the birds weren't out today, possibly due to avian flu. I did see an Ostrich running around in its pen behind the main exhibit, however. The Bald Eagle and Vd Decken's Hornbills were the only birds on display.
Also, seems some of the park maps are out of date. Near Panda Plaza/cheetahs one map says there's Addra Gazelle and Red River Hogs, but they aren't there. There's Addax and Sitatunga instead.
 
The gazelles are gone, the Sitatunga and hog rotate on-exhibit.

If the ostrich was still outside, it wasn't removed for HPAI. The zoo has very few birds on-exhibit in general atm due to the bird house still being redone. Aside from the ones you mentioned, there were also Green Aracari and Red-Fan Parrots in Amazonia, and a raven along the America trail back in March.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
The gazelles are gone, the Sitatunga and hog rotate on-exhibit.

If the ostrich was still outside, it wasn't removed for HPAI. The zoo has very few birds on-exhibit in general atm due to the bird house still being redone. Aside from the ones you mentioned, there were also Green Aracari and Red-Fan Parrots in Amazonia, and a raven along the America trail back in March.

~Thylo
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Thanks for that info. I love Red River Hogs, but I'm glad I got to see the much rarer Sitatunga on my visit.
I forgot about the raven, it was on exhibit. However I did not see any birds in Amazonia. There was signage for the Green Aracari in the small mammal house with the Golden Lion Tamarins and Two-toed Sloth, but they were not on display.
 
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