Primate keeper Melba Brown says 9-week-old western lowland gorilla infant Moke is taking in all of the sights, sounds and scents around him.
If Calaya allows, Mandara will put her hand on Moke
Leap into learning what it takes to care for some of the frogs found at Smithsonian’s National Zoo from Matt Evans, assistant curator of the Reptile Discovery Center.
Red-eyed tree frogs, on the other hand, are quite tolerant
How do you get an orangutan to sit still for an electrocardiogram? All it takes is a little patience and a lot of ingenuity! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s positive reinforcement training program enables primates to voluntarily participate in their own medical care without the need for anesthesia.
play, he is dedicated and focused on the task at hand
Last December, Smithsonian Channel’s Wild Inside series introduced 6-month-old red panda cubs Henry and Tink to the world. Born in summer 2014, the cubs were in critical condition and required round-the-clock care.
We’ve been hand-raising him practically since birth
In honor of National Zookeeper Week, we’re recognizing some of the dedicated professionals who go above and beyond for the animals in our care.
in many beneficial husbandry behaviors including hand-feeding
Fiji banded iguanas are bright green lizards with crested spines and long tails found only on the Fiji islands. Males have wide blue or light green stripes, while females are typically solid green but may have a few white or pale blue spots.
Females, on the other hand, are generally solid green
Mayni, on the other hand, tends to hang close to mom
Bao Bao is settling into her new home in China. Upon arriving at the Dujiangyan panda base, Bao Bao entered her new habitat without hesitation and immediately started exploring. True to character, Bao Bao was very independent and immediately began taking food from her new keeper.
Bao Bao picked up on all the hand signals and body
Over the winter, Bornean orangutan Redd learned some new husbandry behaviors! Read the latest #OrangutanStory from primate keeper Erin Stromberg.
before he is ready to move on to the next task at hand
How do you train a panda to voluntarily participate in blood draws and other medical exams? By building the bears’ trust and rewarding their participation with treats!
use a combination of verbal cues, training tools, hand
