Smithsonian National Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo News 2018

Breeding Season is in the Air

Maned Wolf Pups Get a Checkup

 

All three red pandas, Asa, Nutmeg, and Jackie, are on exhibit together now.

 

Giant Panda Mei Xiang is Artificially Inseminated at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

 

While I am happy for better breeding prospects (uh uh ...., contradiction in terminis here), I am still more than perturbed that our animal management and husbandry practices in zoo environments in most zoos do not play into natural systems of reproduction. It is more or less a State sponsored and "managed" incapability to really deal with the intricacies of giant panda mate choice(s) and natural reproductive biology. The only examples where I can think of that this is somewhat the case where the zoos of Wien, Austria and San Diego, USA and one of the conservation breeding centres in P.R. China that is the main driving force behind the captive reared stock for release scheme since several years.

It really is no longer needed to just go for production of a captive population, more to improve the quality and quantity of captive populations and continue to move towards potential releases of captive-reared giant pandas to set up more wild populations or back some of the more critically low populations up with better genetics and numbers.

 

Prehensile-tailed Porcupine Dies at Smithsonian’s National Zoo

 

Ah, that’s sad. He was adorable.

 

Is the Smithsonian National Zoo constructing Habitat 1 from the original site plan of Elephant Trails?

I found it rather interesting that the Elephant Community Center, the New Barn Addition, and Habitat 3 were constructed to correspond with the design while Habitat 2 was divided into two enclosures and Habitat 1 was never constructed. It appears that Habitat 1 was dropped and the original exhibit was simply renovated.

With the relocation of Spike to the Smithsonian National Zoo, that ceases the elephant breeding program at Busch Gardens Tampa. When Spike was transferred to Busch Gardens in September of 2013, intentions were to breed Spike with Karnaudi, the only breeding aged female. Now that Karnaudi has reached the age where pregnancy could be hazardous, Busch Gardens has decided not to breed her. Until breeding individuals are acquired, the elephant program at Busch Gardens Tampa is uncertain.

 

The construction that Andrew mentioned earlier in the year was not the construction/modification of the yard for the bull, but a minor renovation. If all goes well, bull construction will occur later this year. There are no published plans for this construction as far as I know, but I think the current yard adjacent to the old hippo exhibit and the hippo exhibit itself will be joined together. Previous issues with construction of the whole original plan were due to money.

The elephant program at Busch Gardens will continue.

 

I understand that the renovation of the enclosure was not intended to be a bull enclosure (similar to the one at the Cincinnati Zoo) but rather an enclosure that can hold a bull. Since the exhibit was only renovated during the construction of Elephant Trails, modifications need to be made to ensure the containment of the bull.

From prior posts, minimal information is known about the renovation but if there are construction vehicles and a construction fence surrounding the enclosures, it would seem that there is more than a minor renovation happening. Logically, I don’t understand how the former hippo enclosure and the elephant enclosure can be integrated without significant construction to either enclosure. If anyone can obtain information on the renovation, that would greatly appreciated.

 

I did, and I just told you it...

The work mentioned earlier is not the combination of the two exhibits. I figured that would suffice, but since you don’t believe me I will elaborate. The minor renovations are to the pool on the larger enclosure. It is large and I imagine difficult to work on, hence the extended period of construction and the whole area being blocked off. Again, the modifications that will happen to create a yard suitable for a bull elephant will be later in the year, after more funding has been gathered and approval granted for additional modifications the keepers have requested.

 

I apologize for any misunderstanding on the matter. I just wanted to inquiry about the renovation as the Smithsonian National Zoo has, to my knowledge, published little to no information on the renovation or the acquisition of a breeding bull. Thank you for providing further clarification.

 

Smithsonian’s National Zoo Welcomes Male Asian Elephant

 

I wonder when the last time the zoo had an elephant with tusks like this. Did Nancy the African elephant have big tusks?

 

Nancy appeared to have longer tusks back in the 1980s but were trimmed by 1994.

 

Spike & his Dad, Dalip at Zoo Miami always remind me of the extinct Palaeoloxodon. Spike is 11' at the highest part of his body and still might be growing. When his tusks get back to the way they looked in Calgary before they broke off, Smithsonian's National Zoo will have an equally impressive living Asian Elephant bull alongside the famous mounted (stuffed) Fenykovi African Elephant in the rotunda at the National Museum of Natural History.

 

It's been at least a year since I've been to Smithsonian, I've been frequenting Philly instead - what happened to the giant anteaters?

 

They are now at the Little Rock Zoo

 

Elephant Update: Spike Settles In

Also thank you @jayjds2 for correcting me on the elephant exhibit construction!

 

#GorillaStory: What to Expect

 

F Calaya due sometime in May...