National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Female Guam kingfisher Giha at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Guam kingfishers are extinct in the wild, but scientists are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.

Some Egg-citing News and a Few Love Bites

There are only 135 Guam kingfishers in the world. The species is extinct in the wild, but scientists are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.

A female Guam kingfisher at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in 2012.

Guam Kingfishers: A Truly Rare Breed

As an animal keeper at SCBI, some of my favorite birds to work with are small but sassy. Guam kingfishers certainly fall into this category. We have three pairs to introduce during this year's breeding season, so we have our work cut out for us.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's

Preparing for Cheetah Cubs

At the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, the carnivore team is gearing up for a very special arrival: cheetah cubs! As one of 10 facilities in the Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition, SCBI researchers study the behavior, biology, health and reproduction of these rare cats.

Two pandas at China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (also called Chengdu Panda Base or CPB).

Learning More About Panda Health One Drop of Blood at a Time

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, one of the very first steps a veterinarian takes is to obtain a blood sample for analysis.

12-year-old Grevy's zebra Moyo at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

How Do You Train a Zebra?

Get an insider's look at how animal keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo use activities, food, training and toys to safely care for 850-pound Grevy's zebra Moyo.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Persian onagers and their foals enjoyed 6 inches of snow in January.

Persian Onagers Dig the Snow

It has been a fairly mild winter at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, with the exception of a pretty big snowfall Jan. 7. It was the first snow day for SCBI's newest Persian onager foals, but there are no snow days for the animal keepers who care for these ungulates.

Orangutan mother Batang and infant Redd at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Under (Blood) Pressure: Monitoring Heart Rates in Zoo Primates

How do you get an orangutan to sit still for an electrocardiogram? All it takes is a little patience and a lot of ingenuity! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s positive reinforcement training program enables primates to voluntarily participate in their own medical care without the need for anesthesia.

Jenna Pastel, research assistant for the Smithsonian's National Zoo's nutrition laboratory, stands inside a freezer stocked with samples of exotic animal milks. The freezer holds the largest animal milk repository in the world.

Making Sense of Animal Milks

You might be surprised to see someone walking around the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in a full-body snowsuit, but nutrition laboratory research assistant Jenna Pastel wears a snowsuit year-round. She spends her days in a -20 degree freezer that is home to the world's largest animal milk repository.

Guam rail bird with stocky body, striped chest feathers and stripes on its head walks through grass

Conserving the Last of Guam’s Avifauna: The Recovery of the Guam Rail

Walking through the forests of Guam is arresting — because it’s silent. But the sound of the forest is returning.

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