This summer has been eventful for our youngest western lowland gorilla, Zahra, who will be 16 months old on Sept. 27. Read primate keeper Francesca Bozzo’s update!
Their survival is threatened by disease (the Ebola virus), hunting (for commercial
In honor of National Zookeeper Week, we’re recognizing some of the dedicated professionals who go above and beyond for the animals in our care.
participate in trunk washes, enabling us to monitor for elephant endotheliotropic virus
The largest living land mammals, elephants are intelligent, social and vital to their ecosystems.
Kumari died of the elephant endotheliotropic virus (EEHV) in 1995; Kandula currently
A team of scientists and keepers is traveling all over the eastern United States this year to study a unique and amazing animal: the hellbender.
Kurt Register (a researcher from Clarion University) took samples to test for rana virus
surveillance in Myanmar for the USAID|PREDICT program, a worldwide effort to detect viruses
surveillance in Myanmar for the USAID|PREDICT program, a worldwide effort to detect viruses
Melissa Ingala is a biologist cross-appointed with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation Genomics and the National Museum of Natural History’s Department of Vertebrate Zoology. Her research strives to understand the contribution of gut bacteria (the microbiome) to dietary ecology and evolution in mammals. Her research integrates microbiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology to understand how animals adapt to nutritional challenges, both during the past and into the future. Ingala’s projects include:
animals with similar feeding habits Gut microbiomes are communities of bacteria, viruses
Dr. James Hassell, wildlife veterinarian, epidemiologist and Keller Family Skorton Scholar for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health Program was selected as the runner up on Nov. 30 for the 2021 Nature Research Award for Driving Global Impact.
surveillance in Myanmar for the USAID|PREDICT program, a worldwide effort to detect viruses
You may not like needles or giving blood when you go to the doctor’s office, but did you know that blood is an important diagnostic tool for veterinarians? When an animal is feeling sick, obtaining a blood sample for analysis is often one of the very first steps a veterinarian takes.
white blood cells can often hint at whether it’s due to bacteria, parasites or even viruses
As the primate team celebrates Moke’s second birthday, keeper Alex Reddy reflects on the western lowland gorilla’s growing independence, bold personality and training triumphs.
We know that common human respiratory viruses (such as influenza) have caused outbreaks
Smithsonian scientists are working to uncover the earth’s incredible diversity of microorganisms and to understand how they impact plant, animal and ecosystem health.
term was created in the early 2000s to refer to these communities of bacteria, viruses
