Sections
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
Privacy Policy |  Rss
© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
Washingtonian.com
  • Subscribe
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations

Baby Boom at the National Zoo

Written by Washingtonian Staff | Published on June 21, 2012
Tweet Share

The cheetah cubs, one male, one female, were born in April. One was delivered naturally, the other by C-section, and they started their lives in intensive care. They are now off bottle feeding and doing well. The female is sometimes the more active of the two, pouncing on her brother. They will go on public view later in the summer. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
One of the two cheetah cubs at the National Zoo, having a little roll around after a midday meal of special feed that includes supplements, nutrients and a beef-like product called Natural Balance. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The cheetah cubs playfully attack a paper bag, but watching them it’s easy to see how the instincts come naturally for devouring prey. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The large stuffed cheetah serves as the cubs’ mock mother, and they do like to stay near to it, curl up on it, and sometimes chew on it. The red ball is quite popular. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
One look at the size of the paws and it is easy to tell how this now 7-pound baby will eventually grow to weigh more than 70 pounds and be the world’s fastest land animal. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The baby howler monkey sitting on his mother’s back. He still clings to her most of the time. Through Facebook the public is selecting his name, which will be announced on Friday, June 22. At last check, the frontrunner was Loki. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The baby howler lives in a two-room glass-enclosed cage with his mother and father. The whole family is on public display, and they are entertaining. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Rhea chicks enjoy a mid-morning snack of shredded kale. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The National Zoo’s three rhea chicks. They were hatched by their mother but, typical to this species, are raised by their father. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
A rhea chick cools off. The red mark on the leg is banding put there by the zoo. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
A kori bustard chick. It will become one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, weighing around 35 pounds. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The kori bustard chicks were hatched. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
A newly hatched flamingo. Its feathers feel like dense, soft cotton. At the moment it is fed by hand. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Photographer Andrew Propp zooms in close on a baby snakehead turtle, which seems quite calm about the moment. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
The result of Andrew Propp’s close-up photo. This baby snakehead turtle, hatched June 5, is what zoo officials call a “happy accident.” Photograph by Andrew Propp.
The pretty undermarkings of the baby snakehead turtle. It will grow to many times its infant size. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Two of the four baby snakehead turtles at the National Zoo. They were hatched two and a half weeks ago. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
A baby spiny stick insect. It will grow to be four or five inches long. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Two tiny black and green poison dart frog, what a zoo senior curator calls the “guppies” of frogdom. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Leaping about, a black and green poison dart froglet. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Enjoying its own beautiful reflection, a black and green baby poison dart frog. They are not poisonous in captivity, due to diet. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
More: Photo GalleryPolitics & Personality
Join the conversation!
Share Tweet

Most Popular

1

Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.

2

MAP: Where to Watch the 2025 Fourth of July Fireworks Away From the National Mall

3

Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall

4

52 Perfect Saturdays Around DC

Washingtonian Magazine

July Issue: The “Best Of” Issue

July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue

View Issue
Subscribe

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Related

Catherine Merrill Williams addressing guests at Washingtonian's 500 Most Influential Celebration

Washingtonian Celebrates the 500 Most Influential People in Policy (PHOTOS)

Photos: A Look Back at 2021 Through the Lens of Our Photographer

Photograph by Evy Mages

Photos: A Look Back at 2020, a Very Long, Very Strange Year in Washington DC

Photos From Washingtonian’s 8th Annual Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival

© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs