Giant Panda Habitat, Fujifilm

- Permanent
Tian Tian and Mei Xiang can be seen in their habitat wrestling in the grass, sleeping in a tree, munching on stalks of bamboo, or lounging in a misty grotto.

Notes:
• Tai Shan -- the first surviving Giant panda cub born at the National Zoo on July 9, 2005, to Mei Xian and Tian Tian -- was relocated to Wolong's Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an, Sichuan, in the mountains of south central China, on February 4, 2010, to be part of the breeding program that will help sustain giant panda populations in the wild. As part of the 10-year loan agreement in 2000 between the Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, any cubs born at the Zoo would be returned to China. The Chinese government granted two extensions for Tai Shan to remain at the Zoo: a two-year extension in April of 2007 and a second extension allowing him to stay to January 2010.

Asia Trail

- Permanent
This exhibition features Asian animals already living at the Zoo -- sloth bears, fishing cats, Asian small-clawed otters, red pandas, and a Japanese giant salamander -- along with the clouded leopards (returning to the Zoo after several decades). Also featured are the beloved giant pandas (see separate listing).

The Trail incorporates enrichment activities that stimulate the animals' natural behaviors, including fabricated termite mounds where sloth bears can forage for insects, cut-away views of pools where fishing cats can hunt, nest boxes where red pandas can raise their young, and a glass-fronted pool where visitors can observe Asian small-clawed otters underwater. The new exhibition also highlights the Zoo's research and conservation work and features the following:
• Decision stations: Here visitors can explore the complex conservation issues facing endangered species through touch-screen, interactive kiosks.
• Curiosity stations: Here visitors can learn about the native habitats of the species that live along the trail through hands-on exhibits.
• Researchers at Work stations: Here visitors can learn about the Zoo's efforts to preserve these animals and their habitats in the wild through videos and graphics.

See September 2006 Smithsonian, pp. 34, 36

Prairie Dog Playland

- Permanent
Near Prairie Dogs and Lemur Island
This prairie-dog-themed playground, designed for children ages 2-6, reveals a prairie-dog's perspective on survival. Children can crawl through a series of tubes that resemble prairie dogs' underground tunnels, can pop up "above ground," and can look through scopes to scan for large cutouts of such predators as black-footed ferrets and hawks.

Kids' Farm

- Permanent
Near Rock Creek entrance
This child-friendly exhibition reveals that most of the food we eat comes from a farm and allows visitors to lend a hand around the farm.

Highlights include:
• A Play Area, featuring an oversize, climb-on pizza that connects familiar pizza ingredients with plants grown on a farm. The pizza garden includes tomatoes, herbs, garlic, onions, green peppers, and wheat. Note: Open weather permitting.
• The Barn gives visitors a view into how animals are housed and cared for.
• Goat and Miniature Donkey Yards, where visitors are able to touch the animals through the fence. The area also includes a Caring Corral, where children are invited inside to help take care of the animals.
• The Cow Pasture, where visitors are able to touch the animals when they approach the fence.

Additions:
• Late fall 2007: Alpacas and Ossabaw Island Hogs
• September 2008: Male silver fox rabbits

Lemur Island

- Permanent
Lemur Island (formerly Monkey Island)
This open-air exhibition is home to both ring-tailed (Lemur catta) and red-fronted (Eulemur fulvus rufus) lemurs. These prosimians -- a suborder of primates -- are found only on Madagascar, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa. Today's prosimians retain much of the appearance of the earliest primates. Like many other animal species, wild lemur populations are rapidly declining due to extensive habitat loss.

How Do You Zoo?

- Permanent
Visitor Center: See Hours Note
This learning lab features the following 4 interactive areas for children ages 5-10:
• In the "Small Mammal House," they can don animal keeper uniforms and pretend to make morning rounds, keeping track of 6 different species of animals.
• In the "animal hospital," young veterinarians, with stethoscopes and syringes, can care for plush animals on an examining table.
• In the "keeper's office," there is research to be done.
• In the "commissary," plastic foods are on hand for daily feedings.

Note:
• Hours: Limited hours; call 202-633-1105 for schedule.

Great Cats (lions and tigers)

- Permanent
Lion & Tiger Hill and surrounding area
See living, breathing, roaring Sumatran tigers and African lions and learn more about these endangered animals. Features also include:

• Tiger Tracks, an interpretive trail, allows children to compare their weight to those of various cats and to species of prey; play interactive tiger cub games; and examine life-size models of a tiger's skull, tongue, and paws.

• A machan -- an elevated, enclosed platform -- allows visitors to watch the lions and tigers patrol their Zoo territory.

• An area featuring a bronzed Tyrannosaurus rex skull from the Museum of the Rockies.

For information on the cheetahs, see separate listing: Cheetah Conservation Station.

See January 1999 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 29-33; January 2002, pp. 60-69

Pollinarium

- Permanent
In Invertebrate Exhibit
Living plants, butterflies, and bees are used to explore pollination -- the means of plant reproduction. The evolution, beauty, and mechanics of pollination are examined. The exhibition also includes a 7-foot tall, 3-panel, glass enclosed beehive.

Think Tank

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk, near Reptile Discovery Center
This exhibition explores the biology and evolution of animal thinking, focusing on primates. It also demonstrates how animals use tools, send sophisticated messages, and employ social strategies. In conjunction with this exhibition is the O-Line, an orangutan transit system for orangutans to travel from the Great Ape House to Think Tank.

Amazonia

- Permanent
Amazonia Building
Animals and plants of the New World are included in this rain forest habitat featuring a re-created microcosm of the world's largest rain forest and the Amazon River. Giant Amazon fish are a special feature.

• Amazonia Science Gallery
(Added December 16, 1996; renovated 2009)
This section showcases biodiversity and the work of Smithsonian scientists. It features a nutrition laboratory, Science On a Sphere, Amphibian Alert! and wildlife toxicology exhibits:

-- Science On a Sphere (SOS) uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a six-foot diameter sphere, analogous to a giant animated globe. It provides information on global climate change, weather patterns, animal migration, and many other topics.

-- Amphibian Alert! highlights the efforts of Smithsonian scientists to understand and conserve amphibians. The exhibit features 18 species of frogs, and information on threats to the survival of amphibian species around the world due to disease (chytridiomycosis), habitat loss, and other factors.

Cheetah Conservation Station

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk, past Visitor Center on the left
At the Cheetah Conservation Station, cheetahs can be seen engaged in natural behaviors in a grassland setting similar to their natural savanna habitat -- roaming through their habitat or sunning themselves on the gentle slopes -- giving visitors a chance to closely observe these highly endangered cats. The Cheetah Conservation Station is also home to Grevy zebra, maned wolves, Scimitar-horned oryx, and Tammar wallabies.

Heritage Gardens: African American and Native American

- Permanent
Lion/Tiger Circle
On view are living examples of plants used by Native Americans and African Americans for food and medicines.

Gibbon Ridge

- Permanent
Olmstead Walk, near Great Apes House
Gibbon Ridge, situated among tall trees near the Great Apes House, is home to 3 groups of white-cheeked gibbons -- famous for their wild acrobatics and resounding calls -- and a group of siamangs.

Invertebrates

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk, Reptile House, Lower Level
Invertebrates -- creatures without backbones -- are the most abundant creatures on earth, crawling, flying, floating, or swimming in virtually all of Earth's habitats. About 99% of all known living species are invertebrates. The Zoo's Invertebrate Exhibit is home to such invertebrate species as sea stars; spiny lobsters; sea anemones; corals; insects; spiders, including tarantulas; mollusks; and a young new giant Pacific octopus named Octavius that went on view late January 2010.

• Blue Crab and the Chesapeake Bay
Opened October 17, 2003
This section features live crabs to demonstrate the biology of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), their life cycles, and their environment in the Chesapeake Bay. The section explores how crabs take advantage of a diversity of habitats in the Bay during different stages of their life cycles, how crabs provide scientists with a window into the overall health of the Bay -- as pollution levels increase, crab populations decrease; and how our everyday actions affect the blue crab and the entire Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Small Mammal House

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk, near Great Ape House
Most species in the Zoo's Small Mammal House are no bigger than a breadbox. The exhibition features the golden lion tamarin, the three-banded armadillo, the prehensile-tailed porcupine, naked mole-rats, tree shrews, meerkats, black-tailed prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and more.

Great Ape House

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk
Today, this exhibition is home to seven western lowland gorillas and six orangutans, which may be seen outside in the yard or inside the Great Ape House. The orangutans have access to the Think Tank by using the aboveground O Line; for details, see Think Tank.

The exhibition was designed to encourage physical activity and normal social interaction within each group. Features include 8 spacious, glass-fronted indoor areas, 2-3 stories high, equipped with floor-to-ceiling climbing structures; large outdoor areas with dry moats confining animals without visual obstructions; and interpretive graphics.

Elephant Trails: Phase I

Spring 2010 (TBA) - Permanent
As part of the Zoo's campaign to save Asian elephants, this expanded and transformed home for the Zoo's Asian elephants will provide at least 4 acres of indoor and outdoor space and will feature a variety of habitats that will support the natural behavior of the multi-generational herd.

The indoor habitats will feature soft flooring and an Elephant Community Center, where the elephants can be active and socialize throughout the year. The building will accommodate a natural, matriarchal herd and individual bulls -- between 8 and 10 elephants and their young -- with suites for individual elephants.

The outdoor habitats will feature diverse elements, including shade structures, pools, sand piles, and mud wallows to stimulate natural elephant behavior, along with an Elephant Trek -- a walking path to provide the elephants with exercise and foraging opportunities.

Construction began in June 2007 and is expected to be completed in 2011.

See also the Zoo's Web site at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/OurPlansOurNeeds/

New at the Zoo: 2010

- Permanent
-- 2010:
• twin Andean bear cubs born January 14 and 15, 2010, to mother Billie Jean; they are expected to make their public debut spring 2010 (TBA). The twins are the first Andean bear cubs born at the Zoo in 22 years.

Beaver Valley

- Closed; reopens 2012 (TBA)
Valley Trail (also referred to as Beaver Valley)
Note: On view January 1, 1980-November 30, 2009. Closed until approximately 2012 due to construction of the upcoming exhibition Elephant Trails.

However, beginning May 22, 2010, Andean bears -- including cubs Chaska (pronounced "Chas'-kuh") and Bernardo -- are on view Saturdays and Sundays only from 10 AM-2 PM.

Wetlands Exhibition

- Permanent
Near Bird House
On view are 6 ponds -- 5 different "environments" and a "courtship" pond -- where local birds and plants common to wetlands are on view. Raised walkways meander among the ponds allowing visitors viewing access to the areas. Although no captive birds inhabit this area, it is a nice place to birdwatch. Colorful mallards and wood ducks often swim on the ponds and black-crowned night herons can often be seen stalking the shallows.

Bird House and the Outdoor Flight Exhibit

- Permanent
Bird House
The National Zoo is home to hundreds of birds from all over the world. Since birds are an integral part of virtually every ecosystem, it's not surprising that birds are all over the Zoo, too, as residents and visitors.

• Outdoor Flight Exhibit: Open year round, the large flight cage, 90 feet high and 120 feet in diameter, allows birds to fly freely. It features numerous North and South American birds, such as cormorants, hooded mergansers, green-winged teals, cattle egret, little blue heron, Hamerkop, white-faced ibis, Mandarin duck, and wood ducks.

• Bird House: The widest variety of birds at the Zoo live indoors at the Bird House where a series of smaller exhibits encircle a large indoor jungle complete with free-flying tropical birds. Outside the Bird House are a number of other fascinating and large bird species, including a flock of flamingos.

Reptile Discovery Center

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk
The Reptile Discovery Center is an interactive, educational exhibition designed for visitors to explore the biology of reptiles and amphibians. The Center features some 70 species from snakes to frogs to turtles to lizards to crocodiles to Komodo dragons.

Unlike most of the Zoo's other animals, most of the inhabitants of the Reptile Discovery Center won't be found outside during the wintertime. This is because ectothermic (previously referred to as "cold-blooded") creatures rely on the temperature of their surrounding environment to maintain their body temperature; they cannot withstand the cold, wintry weather that endothermic (previously referred to as "warm-blooded") animals can.

Bald Eagle Refuge

- Closed; reopens 2012 (TBA)
Valley Trail (also referred to as Beaver Valley)
Note: On view July 4, 2003-November 30, 2009. Closed until approximately 2012 due to construction of the upcoming exhibition Elephant Trails.

Elephant House

- Permanent
Olmsted Walk
Note: The Elephant House, built in the 1930s, closed to the public September 14, 2009, to undergo renovation as part of the upcoming exhibition Elephant Trails (opening in phases beginning 2012; see separate listing for details).

In the meantime, the three Asian elephants -- Kandula (born in 2001), his mother Shanthi, and another female Ambika -- can be seen in their outdoor habitat 10 AM-4 PM on most days (weather permitting), but occasionally, they may be indoors, during which time they will be off view.

Seals

- Temporarily Closed (reopens 2012 TBA)
Valley Trail (also referred to as Beaver Valley)
Note: On view through November 30, 2009. Closed until approximately 2012 due to construction of the upcoming exhibition Elephant Trails. The California sea lions moved to the Pittsburgh Zoo October 6, 2009.

Outdoor Sculptures: The Gathering, Lions, and Uncle Beazley

- Permanent
Outdoors
• The Gathering: (near Think Tank)
A group of 7 life-size chimpanzee sculptures by Maryland artist Brad Walker was installed in a garden June 18, 2002. Each sculpture depicts a chimpanzee fulfilling a different social role within the troup: matriarch, servant, observer, alpha, ally, explorer, and youth.

• Lion Sculptures: (Connecticut Ave. entrance)
The original two lion sculptures -- cast in concrete -- that graced the Taft Bridge, south of the Zoo on Connecticut Ave., were created in 1906 by Roland Perry. After 90 years of being exposed to the elements, they were recast in concrete and covered in bronze -- one-third scale of the original lions -- by artist Reinaldo Lopez-Carrizo and were unveiled Nov. 19, 2002.

• Uncle Beazley: (near Lemur Island)
Uncle Beazley, the 25-foot-long fiberglass replica of a Triceratops, returned to view in a "dinosaur garden" on May 23, 2007. He had resided at the Elephant House since June 18, 1994, but was off view for several years. Before coming to the Zoo, Uncle Beasley inhabited the Mall outside the Natural History Museum. This statue of Uncle Beazley was designed by Louis Paul Jonas for a television show based on the book The Enormous Egg; the show was filmed in part at the National Zoo.

Animals on View

- Permanent
For a complete listing of animals on view at the Zoo, see the website: nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AnimalIndex/