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Cheetah Conservation Station
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- Permanent
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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, Speke's gazelle, Scimitar-horned oryx, and Tammar wallabies.
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- Permanent
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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 spring 2010; see separate listing for details). In the meantime, the three Asian elephants -- a calf born in 2001, his mother, and another female -- 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.
Web: nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsianElephants/aeexhibit.cfm
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Giant Panda Habitat, Fujifilm
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- Permanent
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Father Tian Tian, mother Mei Xiang, and offspring Tai Shan -- the first surviving Giant Panda cub born at the National Zoo on July 9, 2005 -- 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 leaves for 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.
Web: nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas
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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.
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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
Web: nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/KidsFarm
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Outdoor Sculptures: The Gathering, Lions, and Uncle Beazley
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- Permanent
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• 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 two bronze lion sculptures -- one-third scale models of the lions gracing the Taft Bridge -- were unveiled Nov. 19, 2002. • Uncle Beazley: (near Lemur Island)
Uncle Beazley, the 25-foot-long 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 created for a television show of the book The Enormous Egg; the show was filmed in part at the National Zoo.
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Last update: January 29, 2010, 13:24
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