Smithsonian National Zoo Smithsonian's National Zoo News 2024

Sarus Crane said:
Its ridiculous that they have to close off the ENTIRE Asia Trail and bird house. Why not just erect one of those 6-8 ft non see through construction type fences like at theme parks so people can't see them from the paths. They're erecting anti-riot fences around DC so why not add a non-visible barrier to allow visitors to see the other animals???
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Because people will still be loud/rowdy and try to sneak a peek at the pandas, potentially risking the pandas' lives as well as their own. This is the first step in crowd control alongside the member previews, which will be orchestrated so the pandas can get used to crowds and louder noises slowly but surely. Besides, it's not like the rest of the zoo has nothing to offer (Amazonia, American Trail, Great Cats/Claws and Paws, Great Apes, Think Tank, Reptile Discovery Center, Small Mammal House and of course Elephant Trails).
 
StoppableSan said:
Because people will still be loud/rowdy and try to sneak a peek at the pandas, potentially risking the pandas' lives as well as their own. This is the first step in crowd control alongside the member previews, which will be orchestrated so the pandas can get used to crowds and louder noises slowly but surely. Besides, it's not like the rest of the zoo has nothing to offer (Amazonia, American Trail, Great Cats/Claws and Paws, Great Apes, Think Tank, Reptile Discovery Center, Small Mammal House and of course Elephant Trails).
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I was so looking forward to filming the non-panda Asia Trail residents and outdoor bird exhibits during peak fall colors. Now I'm gonna have to wait until next year!!! :(
 
I visited the zoo yesterday-- beautiful warm day with gorgeous fall colors and crunchy leaves everywhere-- and it was so surreal with the entire top half of the zoo closed. There were signs by the entrance that said "Your zoo journey begins with elephants!" Just so weird walking by a blocked off Asia Trail, vacant Africa Trail, and empty bison yard with no access to the bird house, either. Obviously the zoo is free to visit, so it's not like guests were being ripped off, and I still spent 2.5 hours watching animals-- most were quite active in the temperate weather.

The infrastructural renovation is done at the main Great Cats hill and all three exhibits were open again. While they were all active and fun to watch, there was only one cat in each exhibit (one male lion, one Amur tiger, and one Sumatran tiger), which is such a change from past years. I had wondered for a bit if the zoo was intentionally letting their cat collection dwindle with plans to renovate the area more extensively, but that doesn't seem to be the case as far as I can tell.

But the main reason I wanted to post was to update on the new construction near Great Cats/ Think Tank. It looks like it's going to be two separate enclosures with a path between them and some kind of little front plaza maybe. The interior of the enclosures seems about 50% ready and they have medium-sized shelter boxes in them similar to the binturong and bobcat exhibit.

The archway overhead what appears to be a pedestrian path is interesting. Could it mean there will be some kind of tunnel constructed that lets animals trade between the two enclosures? Or just a shade feature?

Do we think these are more permanent homes for the small cats currently in the Claws and Paws pathway, or will the zoo possibly bring back some of the species they previously had in the area like caracals? I really miss those!

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TheGytrash said:
I visited the zoo yesterday-- beautiful warm day with gorgeous fall colors and crunchy leaves everywhere-- and it was so surreal with the entire top half of the zoo closed. There were signs by the entrance that said "Your zoo journey begins with elephants!" Just so weird walking by a blocked off Asia Trail, vacant Africa Trail, and empty bison yard with no access to the bird house, either. Obviously the zoo is free to visit, so it's not like guests were being ripped off, and I still spent 2.5 hours watching animals-- most were quite active in the temperate weather.

The infrastructural renovation is done at the main Great Cats hill and all three exhibits were open again. While they were all active and fun to watch, there was only one cat in each exhibit (one male lion, one Amur tiger, and one Sumatran tiger), which is such a change from past years. I had wondered for a bit if the zoo was intentionally letting their cat collection dwindle with plans to renovate the area more extensively, but that doesn't seem to be the case as far as I can tell.

But the main reason I wanted to post was to update on the new construction near Great Cats/ Think Tank. It looks like it's going to be two separate enclosures with a path between them and some kind of little front plaza maybe. The interior of the enclosures seems about 50% ready and they have medium-sized shelter boxes in them similar to the binturong and bobcat exhibit.

The archway overhead what appears to be a pedestrian path is interesting. Could it mean there will be some kind of tunnel constructed that lets animals trade between the two enclosures? Or just a shade feature?

Do we think these are more permanent homes for the small cats currently in the Claws and Paws pathway, or will the zoo possibly bring back some of the species they previously had in the area like caracals? I really miss those!

View attachment 745267 View attachment 745268
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This might just be me, but I think the bobcats and Palla’s cats are in desperate need of larger enclosures. This is a conversation I overheard at the bobcat exhibit during my visit, from two people who did not seem like zoo/animal nerds at all:

Child: (referring to the bobcats) I thought they would be bigger.
Mom: I thought their enclosure would be bigger.
 
The exhibits up by the lion and tiger exhibits are for brand new species to the zoo. One of them they’ve had before but it’s been years and the other new all together. The Pallas cats and Bob cats will stay at paws and claws trail. The bobcats particularly used to have larger enclosures before the new ones were built however they spent a lot more time displaying stereotypical behavior. Their big cat collection is dwindling however they are looking to breed Amur tigers. They can technically hold almost triple what they have in terms of numbers (2 male lions, 1 female lion, two male Amur tigers, and 1 female Sumatran tiger)
 
E Maximus said:
The exhibits up by the lion and tiger exhibits are for brand new species to the zoo. One of them they’ve had before but it’s been years and the other new all together. The Pallas cats and Bob cats will stay at paws and claws trail. The bobcats particularly used to have larger enclosures before the new ones were built however they spent a lot more time displaying stereotypical behavior. Their big cat collection is dwindling however they are looking to breed Amur tigers. They can technically hold almost triple what they have in terms of numbers (2 male lions, 1 female lion, two male Amur tigers, and 1 female Sumatran tiger)
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If I remember correctly, there is also a little more to the bobcat exhibit than what we can clearly see in Paws and Claws, right? It kind of looks like there is a little tunnel to an area lower on the hill behind the main enclosure. It is smaller than the old exhibit, but not as small as it might look at first.
 
E Maximus said:
The exhibits up by the lion and tiger exhibits are for brand new species to the zoo. One of them they’ve had before but it’s been years and the other new all together. The Pallas cats and Bob cats will stay at paws and claws trail. The bobcats particularly used to have larger enclosures before the new ones were built however they spent a lot more time displaying stereotypical behavior. Their big cat collection is dwindling however they are looking to breed Amur tigers. They can technically hold almost triple what they have in terms of numbers (2 male lions, 1 female lion, two male Amur tigers, and 1 female Sumatran tiger)
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Would caracal be a reasonable guess for the first species? Some of the options for a medium-sized cat or a smaller cat are on display elsewhere (clouded leopard and fishing cat in Asia Trail, sand cat in Small Mammal House, bobcat and Pallas' cat in Claws and Paws), so realistically, I'm hedging a bet on serval or Canadian lynx. Somehow doubt that jungle cats or leopard cats are on the table...
 
E Maximus said:
The exhibits up by the lion and tiger exhibits are for brand new species to the zoo. One of them they’ve had before but it’s been years and the other new all together. The Pallas cats and Bob cats will stay at paws and claws trail. The bobcats particularly used to have larger enclosures before the new ones were built however they spent a lot more time displaying stereotypical behavior. Their big cat collection is dwindling however they are looking to breed Amur tigers. They can technically hold almost triple what they have in terms of numbers (2 male lions, 1 female lion, two male Amur tigers, and 1 female Sumatran tiger)
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Can I ask, what's the name of the second male Amur tiger and where did he come from? The zoo had Metis (1.0) and Nikita (0.1) and I saw in the Amur tiger population thread that Nikita moved to another zoo earlier this spring, but the zoo website still says they have Metis and Nikita.
 
What’s up with the zoos lions? If I’m correct they should have 3 lions a mother (can’t remember her name) and her two sons who live in a separate enclosure (also can’t remember their names). Do they plan on breeding or just phasing out this species?
 
3 Pieces of Late 2024 News Worth Mentioning:
Nile Hippo Expert said:
Black Footed Ferret Aristides gave birth to six kits on May 11th!
Black-Footed Ferrets Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
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On August 16th, the zoo announced that 5 of the 6 ferrets would be transferred to US Fish & Wildlife's National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center to be released into the wild.

Black-footed Ferret Update: How to Do a Health Check

On August 20th, the zoo announced that 27 birds of various species hatched at the Bird House including:

- 7 red-winged blackbirds hatched (3 on June 5th, 4 on July 6th) which is the first time the Smithsonian has successfully bred the species.
- 5 canvasbacks hatched (first time since the early 1990s) which have since been transferred to other unspecified facilities.
- 5 American wigeons hatched on June 30th which have since been transferred to other unspecified facilities.
- 5 white-cheeked pintails hatched on May 25th (first time since 2010) which were transferred to other unspecified facilities.
- 2 common yellowthroats hatched on June 18th and June 19th respectively (Smithsonian National Zoo is the only facility in the world breeding the species).
- 2 ovenbirds hatched on June 17th (first successful hatching of the species at the National Zoo, and the only facility in the world breeding the species).
- A cedar waxwing hatched in mid-June.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/make-way-ducklings-and-chicks

On October 25th, it was announced that the zoo transferred (2.0) Andean bears named Ian and Sean to the Potawatomi Zoo in Indiana.

https://www.potawatomizoo.org/new-andean-bear-brothers/

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On November 19th, it was announced that the institute transferred 2 red-crowned cranes to the Assiniboine Park & Zoo in Manitoba, Canada.

Hoot! Meet our Great Horned Owl and Red-Crowned Cranes
 
I am not sure if the zoo will post their new arrival anytime soon. I heard a rumor of the move and then saw a photo of the new animal on a facebook zoo photography group. Suyana, a female Andean bear from San Diego Zoo, is now on exhibit. I believe when she's sexually mature, she will breed with the zoo's male, Quito, and the other female Andean bear, Brienne, will eventually be moved to another zoo.
 
It sounds like Suyana is the great-granddaughter of former National Zoo matriarch Billie-Jean-- Suyana's mother is Alba, whose mother is Chaska, who was born to Billie-Jean at the zoo in 2010. She and Brienne would be cousins.

I know there are a handful of European or wild-born male Andean bears in AZA zoos, like Quito himself, or Suyana's dad Turbo, but are there any females in AZA zoos from outside the Billie-Jean lineage?
 
TheGytrash said:
It sounds like Suyana is the great-granddaughter of former National Zoo matriarch Billie-Jean-- Suyana's mother is Alba, whose mother is Chaska, who was born to Billie-Jean at the zoo in 2010. She and Brienne would be cousins.

I know there are a handful of European or wild-born male Andean bears in AZA zoos, like Quito himself, or Suyana's dad Turbo, but are there any females in AZA zoos from outside the Billie-Jean lineage?
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Not a whole lot who are still able to reproduce. A couple that comes to mind would be Oja (Phoenix Zoo) and Luka (Nashville Zoo). The US could use an imported female Andean bear!
 
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