The National Zoo has two installations. The first is a beautiful 163-acre urban park located in Northwest Washington, D.C., 20 minutes from the National Mall by subway. It offers family fun, excitement, and stimulating education programs, as well as a peaceful setting to enjoy nature. The other is the non-public, 3,200-acre Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, which is devoted to training wildlife professionals in conservation biology and to propagating rare species through natural means and assisted reproduction.
The National Zoo has been the home to giant pandas for more than 30 years. First Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling in 1972, and, since 2000, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, have symbolized the Zoo’s efforts to celebrate, study, and protect endangered species and their habitats.
Plans for the future include modernizing the Zoo’s aging facilities and expanding its education, research, and conservation efforts both in Washington and in the wild. A Kids’ Farm exhibit opened in 2004, and a new, ten-year renewal program will see the creation of an Asia Trail that will include sloth bears, giant and red pandas, fishing cats, giant salamanders, and a breeding Asian elephant herd.
As the National Zoo celebrates the 116th anniversary of its establishment in 1889, its mission to study, celebrate, and protect animals and their habitats is as vital as ever if humankind is to save what remains of the Earth’s biological diversity.
The National Zoo is open every day of the year except December 25.
ADMISSION IS FREE!
April 3 to October 29, 2005:
• Grounds are open: 6 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Buildings are open: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
October 30, 2005, to April 1, 2006:
• Grounds are open: 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Buildings are open: 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Late Opening
June 18: The Zoo will open late to the public for Zoo Morning. The Zoo will be closed to nonmembers of FONZ until 10 a.m.
The Zoo's Bat Cave has been permanently closed. Bats are no longer exhibited at the Zoo.
Visit the National Zoo website here. Nationalzoo.si.edu
