At first glance this large, two-storied, red brick building looks more like a rural high school than an extraordinary exhibit showcasing some of the most fascinating creatures that inhabit the Amazon of South America. Entering on the first floor your first encounter is within a large pool that resembles a river in the Amazon. Here…
Four separate enclosures surround the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Lion/Tiger Hill and allow for rotating the animals between each enclosure. Having access to different environments, especially where other animals have been and left their scent provides great enrichment for these big cats. At Lion/Tiger Hill you’ll find Sumatran tigers lounging beneath their shade and the zoo’s…
The entrance to the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center is stunningly grand. The red bricked building has two turtles standing guard with large pillars rising up towards an exquisite mosaic of a stegosaurus. Within its walls are roughly 70 species exhibited with even more at their Virginia site. Two massive green anacondas, the world’s largest snake, were lounging in…
Perched atop the Small Mammal House are a cat, wolf and bear statues. The Smithsonian National Zoo has a wonderful assortment of statues like these, most with happy children clambering over them for a photo-op. Statues range from otters at play, a sloth bear and her young, giant pandas and many more including a bronzed…
Before we entered in to the Great Ape House we were met by the sweetest, brightest eyes belonging to one of the zoo’s orangutans who was watching us all through a bubbled window, I couldn’t help but smile. The first day we visited it was later in the day and by the time we arrived at…
An exhilarating view from above is offered as you cross a bridge suspended over the Asian elephant enclosure. Standing atop the bridge we watched one of the zoos elephants as it rambled along the pool in its large yard, munching on straw and throwing it up onto its back with its trunk. The elephants can…
Home to Giant Pandas for almost 30 years, the Smithsonian National Zoo is one of only fifteen zoos outside of China to house these emblems to conservation. Rolling hill sides give way to over 12,000 square feet consisting of two outdoor yards, rich in foliage, a den in each and plenty of space to explore. …
Lady of the Zoos 