National Zoo

Washington, DC: Located north of downtown DC in Rock Creek Park lies the National Zoo. The zoo has been entertaining visitors for years with the variety of wildlife that call to park home.

The zoo was formed in 1889 by an Act of Congress, identifying the need for species conservation and place for recreation. The zoo became under the control of the Smithsonian Institute in 1890. The design of the zoo came from Samuel Langley, William Temple Hornaday and Frederick Law Olmsted. The 163 acre zoo provides a refuge for the wildlife and great public viewing for the guests of the zoo.

The main functions of the zoo was conservation and education, a philosophy that still exists to this day. This was evident in the 1950’s as the focus of the zoo shifted from being just a wildlife attraction to more on long term conservation of the animals with the hiring of a full time veterinarian to provide specialized care for the animals. During the 1960’s the efforts moved into the breeding of threatened and endangered species. Today the zoo has over 2,000 animals from over 400 different species.

One of the popular endangered species to call the National Zoo home are the giant pandas. The zoo has provided residence for the pandas since 1972. The pandas come to the zoo on loan from China and are still under the control of the Chinese government. The first pair of pandas Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling arrived in 1972. In 2000, they were replaced with Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. In 2005, the panda population grew to three with the birth of Tai Shan. The pandas are typically on a ten year loan from China.

The layout of the zoo is one of its great features. The animal habitats are laid out amongst lush landscaping that makes you feel like you are in the home of the animal, not in the middle of Washington DC. The zoo is laid out nicely and easy to navigate through the exhibits. The exhibits and the animals they include:

• Asia Trail; fishing cats, sloth bears, clouded leopards, Asian otters and Red Pandas.
• Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat; giant panda
• Cheetah Conservations Station; cheetah, zebra, maned wolves and Oryx.
• Olmstead Walk; emus, horses
• Bird House; bared owls, whooping cranes, vultures, flamingos and more.
• Elephant House; Asian elephants.
• Beaver Valley; bald eagles, river otters, seals, sea lions, spectacled bears and more.
• Small Mammal House; Tamarins, marmosets, howler monkey, ferrets, naked mole rats and more.
• Great Ape House; gorillas and orangutans.
• Gibbon Ridge; gibbons and siamang.
• Lemur Island; lemurs and anteaters.
• Reptile Discovery Center; geckos, skinks, lizards, crocodiles, snakes, turtles, frogs and more.
• Think Tank; macaques and orangutans.
• Invertebrates; octopus, sea stars, millipedes and more.
• Great Cats; lions and tigers.
• Kids Farm; donkeys, goats and cows.

Today the zoo entertains over two million visitors each year coming to observe and learn about the many species of animals that reside at the zoo.

For more photos of the zoo and its animals, visit my National Zoo photo page.

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