Smithsonian's National Zoo's photostream  

Photo Credit: Brittany Steff, Smithsonian's National Zoo

Bernardo, an Andean bear, surveys his domain at the National Zoo. Come see the young Andean bears before they leave for new zoo homes this summer—and make room for Nikki and Billie Jean to try for more cubs!

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Photo Credit: Brittany Steff, Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Double the kiwi, double the cuteness! The National Zoo’s first kiwi chick this year hatched between 5 and 6 a.m. March 7, 2012. Zoo geneticists will be able to determine the chick’s sex in the next week. Older sister Omana was born in December 2011. Stay tuned for updates!

You can also watch the chick on the Zoo's kiwi cam and read an update from Kiwi Keeper Kathy Brader:
nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Kiwi/default.cfm

Photo Credit: Jennifer Zoon, Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Whose foot is that? No, not Buckbeak the hippogriff—it's an alpaca! Alpaca feet have two toes protected by long curved nails that help them travel through mountainous regions.

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Photo Credit: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian's National Zoo

Check out this green tree monitor hatchling! A relative of the Komodo dragon, this tree-dwelling lizard has a prehensile tail.

Photo Credit: Jim Jenkins, Smithsonian's National Zoo

The third female brown kiwi that hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Dec. 11 has a new moniker: Omana (pronounced “oh-MAH-nah”). New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Mike Moore bestowed the name upon her in honor of his hometown, O-Manawatere, a city located southeast of Auckland. Omana’s Dec. 11 hatching is as significant a milestone for the National Zoo as it is for kiwi populations worldwide—currently, there are only 15 female and 33 male kiwi in zoos outside New Zealand.

Kiwi in captivity are extremely rare. Only five zoos outside of New Zealand have successfully bred these unique birds, and the National Zoo has cared for six chicks—three males and three females—since Toru hatched in 1975. Like her wild-caught father, Maori, Omana will become a valuable breeder because her genes are not well-represented in the captive population. She will not be on exhibit at the Zoo. However, in a few weeks, visitors to the Zoo’s website will be able to watch Omana forage in her new enclosure via the Kiwi Cam.. The Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., also has a breeding pair of kiwi.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers brown kiwi an endangered species due, in part, to predation by dogs, cats and stoats (members of the weasel family). The remaining wild population of the brown kiwi is estimated at roughly 24,000, down from 60,000 in the 1980s. In an effort to reduce chick deaths, New Zealand developed Operation Nest Egg and other programs that remove eggs and chicks from the wild, rear them in captivity and release them back to the forests once they weigh 1 kilogram—the weight at which they can defend themselves from most predators. The kiwi population is stabilizing in areas where conservation efforts occur.

The National Zoo boasts the nation’s only “Meet a Kiwi” program, where visitors can observe these unique birds up close and learn about the Zoo’s partnership with conservation organizations, including Operation Nest Egg. “Meet a Kiwi” takes place in the Bird House every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11 a.m.

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