Smithsonian National Zoological- PANDAS!

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The Smithsonian's Zoo was first founded in 1889 on 163 acres and has more than 2,700 animals in 390 species. Needless to say, we focused a lot on Giant Pandas, Asian Elephants, Lions, and Gorillas!! Yes, there were many other animals, exhibits and interesting habitats but we only had one afternoon so we focused on these. These are all such fun animals and we were very lucky, it was a beautiful day and the zoo was EMPTY. Almost all ours!

A little history- For the first 50 years, the National Zoo, like most zoos around the world, focused on exhibiting one or two representative exotic animal species until the fate of animals and plants became a pressing concern hiring its first full-time permanent veterinarian in 1950. In the early 1960s, the zoo turned its attention to breeding and studying threatened and endangered species. Although some zoo animals had been breeding and raising young, it was not understood why some species did so successfully while others did not. In 1965, the zoo created the zoological research division to study the reproduction, behavior, and ecology of zoo species, and to learn how best to meet the needs of the animals. Expanding knowledge about the needs of zoo animals and commitment to their well-being has changed the look of the National Zoo. Today, animals live in natural groupings rather than individually.

The Giant Panda habitat was incredibly impressive with an outside animal enrichment (rocky, waterfalls, and lush grounds) area as well as an inside controlled environment. "Panda" comes from the Nepalese words for "eater of bamboo”. Many people remember the 1972 present to Nixon from China of Ling-Ling (died in 1992) and Hsing-Hsing (in 1999). Although Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing had five cubs between 1983 and 1989, all died as infants. The last pandas left the zoo more than a year earlier after 23 years, and were well know, MeiXiang, Tian Tian and one of their four their cubs born in the zoo, Xiao Qi Ji. There were many exhibits that clearly explained about their lives and breeding and the lives of these well-loved Pandas.

The current residents are Bao Li male and Qing Bao female, both born in China in 2021. We enjoyed watching their antics and "cuddly" bodies. They made their public debut at the zoo on January 24, 2025. The pandas are the focus of a research, conservation, and breeding program which aims to preserve their species. The Asia Trail included other bears, a rare fishing cat we saw, and otters.Læs mere