Pandamania: Getting Up Close and Personal With the Giant Fluffy Bears
• May 15, 2025

I could feel the humid mist on my face as I inhaled the fresh scent of Sichuan mountain air. But it was the loud panting noise that grabbed my attention, […]

Downtowner News Briefs, May 11
• May 16, 2022

Fox Breaks into National Zoo, Kills 25 Flamingos, One Duck  The National Zoo reported that a wild fox broke through a metal mesh enclosure overnight earlier this month, and proceeded […]

Weekly Arts Round Up, May 13, 2021
• May 13, 2021

This weekend: a “makers market” at Dumbarton House and live jazz at Glover Park Grill. Starting May 21, you can visit Xiao Qi Ji, the National Zoo’s “Little Miracle,” in panda (so to speak).

COVID Update: No Masks Outside?
• April 29, 2021

New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests how American citizens should go about their daily lives during the ongoing pandemic.

More D.C. Institutions Reopening
• April 26, 2021

On April 23, the Smithsonian Institution announced that it is planning to reopening seven museums and the National Zoo in May. 

DC Artswatch: FONZ, Smithsonian, Bible Museum, Hal Holbrook
• February 11, 2021

Due to COVID-related financial pressures, Friends of the National Zoo and the zoo announced their separation after more than 60 years.

Weekly Arts Round Up, September 24, 2020
• September 24, 2020

Joining the list of reopened Smithsonian museums tomorrow: the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of the American Indian.

Mostly Virtual Arts Round Up, July 23, 2020
• July 23, 2020

The zoo gates are opening on Connecticut Avenue and the hangar doors are going up (so to speak) in Chantilly. But don’t put your screens away yet.

Mostly Virtual Arts Round Up, June 18, 2020
• June 18, 2020

In this week’s Round Up: The Washington Ballet Takes Center Stage Virtual Gala, a Wright Brothers-themed Zoom-around and a mammal surveillance opportunity.

Spotted in Georgetown: Big, Bad … Mountain Lion?
• September 16, 2019

The cat was said to be too big for a domestic feline and its hair was too short. The Smithsonian National Zoo was contacted and said all of its animals were safe.