Add a little sunshine to a gray winter day with a trip to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. There’s still plenty to see from December through March. This guide will help you plan for a cold-weather visit.
Accessible parking spaces can be found in lots A, B and D.
Qiongyu Huang is the Roger and Molly Sit Giant Panda Biologist at the Smithsonian’s
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
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) has worked to breed and reintroduce this bird back into the wild. Get an inside glimpse of what it takes to care for and conserve shrikes from bird keeper Leighann Cline!
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Why do clouded leopards seem to have a tough time reproducing outside of their natural habitat? As wild populations continue to dwindle, conservation scientists are working against the clock to find successful artificial insemination methods. Two research biologists—Adrienne Crosier and Pierre Comizzoli of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute—have recently worked with colleagues from the Nashville Zoo to explore new ways to artificially inseminate clouded leopards and enhance procreation.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Always free of charge, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is one of Washington D.C.’s, and the Smithsonian’s, most popular tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors from all over the world each year. The Zoo instills a lifelong commitment to conservation through engaging experiences with animals and the people working to save them.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
How do you monitor disease in Asian elephants? By building their trust and teaching them to voluntarily participate in medical exams! Get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into caring for our herd.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
May 10, 2015 Watch Wild Inside the National Zoo: Episode 10: Curious Cubs for awesome footage of Mayni and Muniri playing.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
