Photo by PoPville flickr user Tim Brown
From WMATA:
“Metro will make it easy for riders to get to the Smithsonian National Zoo to say bye-bye to Bei Bei, the zoo’s beloved giant panda. Free shuttle buses will drop-off and pick-up customers at the zoo’s entrance while three Red Line stations (Cleveland Park, Woodley Park and Dupont Circle) are closed for major lighting upgrades this weekend. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Tim Brown
From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo:
“Giant panda Bei Bei will depart the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for China Tuesday, Nov. 19. As part of the Zoo’s cooperative breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, all cubs born at the Zoo move to China when they are 4 years old. Bei Bei turned 4 Aug. 22. (more…)
“A clouded leopard cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.” courtesy Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Word of Mei Xiang not being pregnant was rough but this salves the wound a bit.
From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo:
“For the first time, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is home to rare clouded leopard cubs. The two cubs are the newest residents on the Zoo’s Asia Trail and will make their public debut Wednesday, Sept. 11. The Zoo has been home to adult clouded leopards since 2006.
The cubs are a male named Paitoon and a female named Jilian. They were born April 29 and March 24, respectively, at the Nashville Zoo. Visitors will be able to see them for short periods of time during the morning at the clouded leopard exhibit from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user angela n.
From the National Zoo:
“Reproductive scientists, veterinarians and animal keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute have determined that giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) will not give birth this year. She has been experiencing a pseudopregnancy over the past several months. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user angela n.
I’m not crying, you’re crying!!
From the National Zoo:
“By the end of August Bei Bei will be another year older! He will receive a panda-friendly frozen cake specially made by the Zoo’s Department of Nutrition Science the morning of Aug. 22. Visit the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat to celebrate with us.
Now that Bei Bei is turning four years old, he will move to China as stipulated in our breeding agreement. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user angela n.
From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo:
“Our scientists, veterinarians and keepers have been monitoring Mei Xiang closely for the past several months to determine if she is pregnant or experiencing a pseudopregnancy. They will have their answer by the end of August, because Mei Xiang is in her secondary hormone rise — or the 40-50 days when her levels of progesterone start to rise — signaling that she will either give birth to a cub or enter the final stages of a pseudopregnancy in the next several weeks. When Mei Xiang’s hormone levels return to baseline, she will either give birth to a cub or her behavior will return to normal. (more…)
Red panda cub being weighed June 19. (Jessica Kordell/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)
From the Smithsonian National Zoo:
“Moonlight, a 4-year-old red panda, gave birth to a cub overnight June 12 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. Moonlight and the cub appear to be doing well and keepers are cautiously optimistic that the cub will continue to grow. The new mom has been very attentive to the cub, only leaving the nest box where it was born for very short periods of time to eat and drink. Keepers have been monitoring the pair via a closed-circuit camera in the nest box and they have seen Moonlight, an experienced mom, grooming and nursing the cub.
When Moonlight left the nest box June 19, keepers took the opportunity to perform a quick visual exam and weigh the cub. It weighed in at 6 ounces (172 grams), which is normal for a newborn. Keepers and veterinarians will continue to monitor the pair closely during the next several weeks, which are the most critical for a newborn cub. (more…)
Giant panda Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. (Skip Brown/Smithsonian’s National Zoo)
From Smithsonian’s National Zoo:
“A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) yesterday evening, March 28 at 9 p.m.
Scientists and keepers had been closely monitoring Mei Xiang’s behavior and hormones since she began displaying behavioral changes March 15, indicating she was entering her breeding season. Daily hormone reports showed Mei Xiang’s estrogen levels peaked the evening of March 27, which means she was ovulating and able to become pregnant. Female giant pandas are only in estrus, or able to become pregnant, for 24 to 72 hours each year.
Since the window when a giant panda can conceive a cub is so short, the Zoo’s panda team performed an artificial insemination on Mei Xiang. They artificially inseminated her using fresh semen from Tian Tian (t-YEN t-YEN) for the procedure. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user angela n.
From the National Zoo:
“On March 15, Mei Xiang started exhibiting behavioral signs that breeding season is approaching! A urinary hormone analysis confirmed that her change in behavior was due to her rising estrogen levels, signaling that the panda breeding season will be here soon. (more…)
via Smithsonian’s National Zoo
From the National Zoo:
“We are sad to share that Diogo, one of our golden lion tamarins, died Monday, March 4. At 18 years old, Diogo was geriatric for a golden lion tamarin. Keepers and veterinarians made the difficult decision to euthanize him due to his rapidly declining quality of life caused by renal failure and gallstones. He did not have any offspring, but he and his mate Julie were ambassadors for their species. (more…)