How do the Smithsonian’s animal keepers cater to the daily needs of species as diverse as clouded leopards, kiwis, and giant pandas? With more than 400 species in the National Zoo and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), there’s an amazingly wide range of skills, habitats, and care routines that are deployed to keep these creatures great and small healthy, happy, and thriving.
Paul E. Marinari, senior curator at SCBI, gathers several of his colleagues to talk about the science and art that goes into tucking in a crane or reptile for the night.