National Zoological Park

About National Zoological Park

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, commonly called the National Zoological Park, sits on 163.1 acres in northwest Washington, D.C., within Rock Creek Park. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, cares for roughly 2,700 animals representing about 180 species, and draws an estimated 2.2 million visitors a year. The Zoo opened in 1889 under an act of Congress signed by President Grover Cleveland, and its grounds within Rock Creek Park were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, officially opening to the public in 1891. Admission to the Zoo is free, though a free timed Entry Pass is required for every visitor.

As part of the Smithsonian Institution, the Zoo is paired with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, a 3,200-acre non-public research campus in Front Royal, Virginia, founded in 1974. Together the two sites are organized around conservation science, with research spanning five science centers — Conservation Ecology, Conservation and Sustainability, Conservation Genomics, Migratory Birds, and Species Survival — plus initiatives including the Global Tiger Initiative, Virginia Working Landscapes, and the Global Health Program. Approximately 200 scientists and students collaborate with counterparts in more than 30 countries.

The Zoo sits on hilly terrain, and visitors are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes and budget two to three hours to see the grounds. Its collection is anchored by long-running programs in elephant care, giant panda conservation, and species reintroduction, reflecting the Zoo's origins as an institution built around saving endangered wildlife rather than simple exhibition.

History

The Zoo began as the personal project of William Temple Hornaday, the Smithsonian's chief taxidermist from 1882 to 1887. A trip to the western United States in 1886 left Hornaday shocked at how few American bison remained after the species, once numbering in the millions, had been reduced to a few hundred animals. That discovery launched his crusade to save endangered species, and as the first head of the Smithsonian's Department of Living Animals he brought 15 North American species — deer, foxes, prairie dogs, badgers, lynx, and bison — to live on the National Mall, forming the nucleus of what became the National Zoological Park. In 1889, Congress and President Grover Cleveland formally established the Zoo "for the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people," and by 1891 the animals had moved into their Olmsted-designed home in Rock Creek Park.

By the 1950s the Zoo was becoming a leader in animal care and conservation science, hiring its first full-time veterinarian. A research center focused on animal reproduction, behavior, and ecology opened in 1965, and a decade later the Conservation Research Center — now the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute — was founded on 3,200 acres in Front Royal, Virginia. One of the Zoo's most visible milestones came in 1972 with the arrival of Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, its first giant pandas, launching an ongoing collaboration with Chinese scientists that continues in the Zoo's current panda program. The 1970s also brought the first of many mammal and bird births at Front Royal, including red pandas, clouded leopards, onagers, Guam rails, white-naped cranes, and Micronesian kingfishers.

Through the 1980s and 90s, Smithsonian scientists began returning captive-born animals to the wild: golden lion tamarins free-ranged at the Zoo from 1986 to 2007 in preparation for reintroduction to the Brazilian rainforest, and the first black-footed ferret kits born at Front Royal were released to the wild in 1991, a program that continues today. Zoo scientists also made significant disease discoveries during this period, identifying the lethal elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV) in 1995 and helping discover the chytrid fungus responsible for global amphibian declines in 1999. Notable animal births over the decades include the first kiwi chick born outside New Zealand (1975), the first Komodo dragon hatched outside Indonesia (1992), and the first ever-surviving panda cub born at the Zoo (2005).

More recent history has focused on renewing the physical campus alongside its science: the Asia Trail exhibit opened in 2006, followed by a renovated American Trail in 2012, the Elephant Trails exhibit in 2013, and a 2023 renovation of the historic Bird House that met LEED Gold standards while preserving more than 80 percent of its original masonry. A newly rebuilt Genetics Lab, originally founded in 1991, reopened in 2010. The Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation established headquarters at Front Royal in 2008, and the Cornell-Smithsonian Joint Graduate Training Program has accepted students since 2011.

Exhibits and habitats

Public attractions at the Zoo include a pollinator-themed playground next to Kids' Farm where children can "shrink" to bee size, and the Speedwell Conservation Carousel near Lemur Island, featuring custom-carved and hand-painted animals. Along American Trail, guests can wade in shallow waters when weather permits. The Great Ape House features a mural of hand-painted honeybees as part of Matthew Willey's The Good of the Hive initiative raising awareness of pollinators, and marine muralist Wyland has painted a mural elsewhere on Zoo grounds highlighting coral conservation.

Daily keeper demonstrations give visitors a closer look at animal care, with opportunities to see elephants, watch sloth bears eating ants, and see sea lions catch fish. The Zoo's giant panda program remains one of its most prominent draws, alongside long-established elephant and Asian species exhibits tied to its Asia Trail.

Animal highlights

The Zoo lists at least 180 species on its website, home to roughly 2,700 individual animals. Its collection is especially associated with giant pandas, Asian elephants, naked mole-rats, lions, and Aldabra giant tortoises — including two tortoises, Rulon and Chyna, that have lived at the Zoo for fifty years. Recent additions mentioned by the Zoo include a new sloth, an electric eel, and Chacoan peccaries, alongside ongoing elephant births such as calves named Linh Mai. The Zoo's sister campus in Front Royal, Virginia, breeds additional rare and threatened species, including black-footed ferrets and scimitar-horned oryx, some of which were once extinct in the wild.

Conservation and programs

Conservation research is central to the Zoo's identity as the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Programs include work on elephant care and reproduction paired with efforts to protect wild elephant populations in Asia, research aimed at helping giant pandas thrive in human care and guiding habitat restoration in China, an amphibian conservation center in Panama working to protect wild populations from disease, and migratory bird research spanning hemispheres. The Zoo's breeding programs have produced giant panda cubs, Sumatran tiger cubs, kori bustard chicks, African lion cubs, Cuban crocodile hatchlings, and Andean bear cubs, among many others, and its scientists participate in reintroduction programs for species such as the black-footed ferret. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, serves as the research headquarters behind much of this work.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, indoor exhibits open at 9 a.m. and close to new entry 30 minutes before the Zoo closes; the Zoo itself is open every day except December 25. Admission is free, but every visitor needs a free Entry Pass, reserved in advance online, with a limited number of walk-up passes available at the pedestrian entrances each day. Parking is not free: passes cost $30 per vehicle when purchased at least a day ahead, or $40 on the day of the visit, and spots can sell out during busy periods.

Plan for two to three hours to see the whole Zoo, and expect a hilly walk, so comfortable shoes are recommended. Wheelchairs are available to rent for free, with strollers, wagons, and electronic scooters available for a rental fee on a first-come, first-served basis at the Visitor Center and the Information Station near Lion/Tiger Hill. All Zoo exhibits are reachable via escalators, elevators, and ramps despite the hilly terrain, and restrooms throughout the grounds are accessible. Dining options include Elevation Burger at Mane Grill, the Zoo Market Café, and an outdoor lunch stand near the Small Mammal House, along with food trucks selling drinks, snacks, and other options; guests may also bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. The Zoo is reachable via the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan and Cleveland Park Metro stations, as well as the D70 Metrobus, which stops directly in front of the main entrance. Confirm current hours, pass availability, and any closures on the official website before visiting.