Smithsonian National Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo News 2019

The Smithsonian released their FY20 budget request to congress today. The zoos section starts on page 57.

 

The main news I got out of that is that they are going to install a Smokey Bear exhibit at the zoo and a large mural of honeybees. Did I mess anything else of note?

 

The bee mural was actually completed already.

But you forgot there's going to be a dinosaur puppet show and an exhibit with six animatronic dinosaurs! Yeah no you missed nothing. Most of what is said is repeated every year, with just some minor changing in wording.

 

Wallaby Joey Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo

 

Mei Xiang is showing signs of being in the breeding mood.

Panda breeding is in the air | National Zoo says Mei Xiang shows signs breeding season is approaching

 

Given that the eldest Giant panda mother on record was just under 21 years (20 years and 10 months); and Mei Xiang is 21 years old in July, this will likely be her last year to give birth.

Since Giant panda cubs are born from July to September; and Mei Xiang is born in July, I'm not sure if that would put her at a biological disadvantage (i.e. she will be a minimum of 21 years at this birth) or whether it was just sheer coincidence the record breaking Giant Pandas were born in September, and gave birth in July (at the other end of the scale).

 

Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated on Thursday night with fresh semen from Tian Tian. This year, there was not an additional donor, perhaps because last year's donor, SD's Gao Gao has returned to China.

I believe SD's Bai Yun became the oldest female on record when she gave birth to Xao Li Wu six years ago at the age of 21, exceeding her own mother's record by a day. If Mei were to be pregnant and give birth to a cub, at 21 on 7/22, she'd be at the very uppermost reaches of age to do so. I suppose this really means that the odds are against her.

 

I posted the above at the same time as zoofan15, so mine wasn't meant as a response to his.

 

Fishing Cat Study Looks to Improve Breeding Success Rates

 

According to Wikipedia, Bai Yun is the second eldest Giant panda on record to give birth; the eldest was just two days older (and presumably a September born female that gave birth in the July of her 21st year).

Wikipedia also says Bai Yun is the most reproductively successful panda as she has given birth to the most surviving Giant panda cubs outside of China. This is now incorrect as Lun Lun at Zoo Atlanta has produced seven surviving cubs. I’ll edit it when I get home.

However...according to this article, Bai Yun surprised keepers by coming into season in 2015 (her 24th year):

Bai Yun surprised San Diego Zoo's panda team

This followed the birth of her last cub in 2012 (her 21st year), and a false-start estrus in 2014 (her 23rd year).

While the chances of coming into season from the 22nd year onwards are unlikely (let alone conceiving); I’d say a female Giant panda that has been recently reproductively active (like Mei Xiang) would stand a better chance than one who has not bred for years.

 

I believe the record-holder is Bai's own mother Dong Dong. I agree that an animal with recent breeding success stands a better chance of conceiving, but let's not forget that virtually none of ours except Gao Gao and Bai Yun actually ever bred!

 

Second Live Naked Mole-rat Cam Is Coming to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

 

I'm spending Easter at the zoo! Now, are there sloths at both Small Mammals and Amazonia? Are they the same species? Can someone tell me where in the main habitat/exhibit the Amazonia sloth has been sighted? Thanks in advance!

 

In theory, they are in both. In Amazonia, it would be in the upstairs area, it's a very small walk-through compared to other jungle buildings... in practice, see the last page or two for how often that sloth is spotted You will definitely see the ones in the mammal house, though; they're usually asleep in their boxes on the wall. I believe they only keep Linnaeus's.

 

Lol. Yes, well, that's why I inquired. I have never seen a sloth in either location. I can sometimes tell that one is in the box in SM, but am only considering another attempt at Amazonia because of the reports here that claim s/he truly exists.

 

The only place I've had a satisfying sloth experience is a close-up keeper session in, of all places, Jenkinson's Aquarium on the Jersey Shore. I was stunned to discover a sloth there, but it's an AZA facility, they decided they wanted a sloth for ambassador purposes, and they received one.

 

I've never not seen at least one of the sloths in the mammal house, so hopefully you'll get to see one!

Bronx also includes theirs in their ambassador programs. Right now they have "Sloth Connection", which obviously is your best chance, "Celebrity Surprise" which includes 2 unknown animals from the show, and "Animal Ambassadors Tour" (2.5hr instead of 30min) which includes 6 possible animals. When the weather isn't great they're sometimes brought in as a surprise with other tours, which is how I got to see one up close.

I think it's the National Aviary that also has one for ambassador purposes? One of the AZA aviaries, anyway. Plus others, but those are the ones I can think of in this area that aren't really overpriced (you can meet one at Lehigh Valley for the low price of $400 for up to 4 people!)

 

I've seen the Bronx Zoo's sloth at the Children's Zoo and on The Zoo, but I didn't realize those ambassador programs were open to anyone but school groups. Jenkinson's was free for anyone there at the time. I'd love to see Dave the kangaroo, Peaches the Warthog, Junebug the porcupine, the fennec fox...... Thanks!

 

Bronx has two sloths, one of each two-toed species. The Hoffmann's is an ambassador animal I think. If I were to do a bts experience there I'd be hoping for the Palawan Binturong.

~Thylo

 

Yep, anyone can do them, they're $50-60 bucks and each runs almost every day, you sign up online. The core ones are the cheetah and fennec foxes, and then the others rotate by season, though they're hoping to make a few others permanent.

I was told that they each do ambassador stuff, depending on how they're feeling, but it's primarily the female they use. That could have changed since September, of course.