Seal pups make for a fun festive addition at the National Zoo
13 December 2011 - The National Zoo is proud to announce the birth of two South American seal pups! The youngsters are being cared for by their mothers in the South American fur seal enclosure.
Final blow for Africa's Western Black Rhino - Extinction!
2 December 2011 - Despite everyone getting in to the festive mood with the upcoming holidays, some terrible conservation news has made the headlines: one of Africa's types of rhino has officially been declared extinct! The Western Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) until recently was one of four distinct subspecies of Black Rhino - devastatingly it has just been officially declared extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Carol under the stars at the National Zoo
9 November 2011 - The Friends of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, in collaboration with the National Zoo, is proudly hosting this year's Carols by Candlelight on Saturday, 12 November 2011.
Lichtenburg animals in fine fettle, National Zoo inspection finds
25 October 2011 - The National Zoo has soundly refuted allegations that its Lichtenburg Game Breeding Centre has been allowed to fall into decay, and that the animals there are dying of hunger and thirst.
Extinction crisis for two more South African birds
7 July 2011 - Two more South African birds have been added to the growing list of those facing extinction. For the first time the charismatic snake-hunting Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) and the Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) have both been recognised as globally threatened with extinction.
Unicorns brought back from the brink of extinction
21 June 2011 - The Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) has just been officially declared less threatened in the 2011 Red List of the IUCN and down-listed to Vulnerable. It has made a remarkable comeback thanks to the assistance of zoos and a highly successful captive breeding and reintroduction effort.
New raggies "happy as a clam"
25 May 2011 - Our new ragged-toothed sharks have settled well into their new state-of-the-art acrylic tank.
This Earth Day, consider the catastrophe facing the African penguin
19 April 2011 - Good Friday, 22 April, is also Earth Day, when people the world over demonstrate their commitment to an environmentally sustainable planet - and in South Africa, attention is being drawn to our most threatened bird species: the African penguin.
Zoo mourns passing of baby elephant Dineo
12 April 2011 - The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa is in mourning following the passing of Dineo, the first elephant calf to be born at the zoo.
First birth of an African savannah elephant at the National Zoological Gardens
29 March 2011 - The National Zoological Gardens in Tshwane recently welcomed the birth of an African savannah elephant, on the 21 March. The female baby elephant was conceived by mother, Pumbi, at the zoo two years ago, and is widely considered to be the first elephant born in an African zoo.
Urban wildlife: closer than you think
7 March 2011 - How many of us have really taken a good look at the fauna in our gardens? Butterflies, bird species, dragon flies near water bodies, bees and sometimes even hedgehogs and owls can all be found if you just know where to look.
Cupid hits his mark with rare spider
15 February 2011 - Valentine's Day may have come and gone, but the sly Cupid certainly left his mark - on a spider's abdomen?
New research prompts re-think of cheetah conservation
20 January 2011 - The results of new collaborative research carried out by the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) in Pretoria on cheetah populations in Africa and Asia point to a complete re-think of the approach to ensuring the survival of the big cats.
The National Zoological Gardens of
South Africa is a proud facility of
the National Research Foundation
