猎豹保育站

猎豹保护站不仅仅是猎豹的家园。 斑马、红河猪、西塔通加和阿比西尼亚地犀鸟也都居住在这里——还有世界上一些最受威胁的物种，包括达马瞪羚和弯角羚羊。 猎豹保护站的几只动物在混合物种展览中共享空间，让动物有机会像在原生栖息地一样互动。

动物园和史密森尼保护生物学研究所的科学家一直在猎豹保护站研究许多物种的行为、繁殖和健康。在 SCBI，生物学家收集猎豹种群的行为和激素数据，以优化繁殖成功率。动物园的生殖生理学家开创了弯刀角羚羊的人工授精技术，以确保有价值但行为不相容的配对之间的繁殖。与猎豹和羚羊一样，鬃狼和大马瞪羚也参与了动物园和水族馆协会的物种生存计划。 SCBI 的工作人员正在努力了解这些物种的生殖行为和生理学、父母行为、婴儿行为和发育、营养、健康和疾病。

动物园的加蓬生物多样性计划一直处于将保护需求与发展优先事项相结合以维持加蓬生物多样性和培训下一代保护从业者的前线。加蓬西南部的冈巴保护区生物多样性丰富，包括许多栖息地类型和令人关注的物种，包括大猩猩、森林大象和海龟。

猎豹保护站的饲养员为动物提供丰富的环境——围栏、社交、物品、声音、气味和其他刺激——以增强它们的幸福感，并为它们提供展示其物种典型行为的出口。展览的设计经过精心策划，旨在为动物园的动物提供刺激身心的玩具、活动和环境。每种浓缩物都经过量身定制，让动物有机会以新颖和令人兴奋的方式利用其自然行为。与任何浓缩活动一样，动物可以选择参加或不参加。

为了鼓励动物像在野外一样觅食，饲养员将食物散布在整个展览中或将其放置在院子里的各种拼图喂食器中。它们在不同地点接受大量喂食，以保持全天活动。对于大马瞪羚和弯角羚羊等动物，饲养员会将食叶饼干放入线轴喂食器中。动物必须旋转、转动或以其他方式操纵喂食器才能使食物掉出来。

猎豹保护站的几只动物在混合物种展览中共享空间，让动物有机会像在原生栖息地一样互动。但即使是不共享同一展品的动物——例如猎豹和斑马——也可以相互交流和社交。斑马经常沿着分隔这两个物种的围栏的栅栏疾驰，猎豹会并排奔跑。这种互动鼓励自然行为——一切都来自安全距离。

除了丰富环境外，许多动物还参加培训课程。这种丰富的社交活动为动物提供了锻炼和精神刺激，同时加强了动物与其饲养员之间的关系。猎豹贾斯汀和巴卡里接受了参与抽血的培训，这使动物护理人员能够监测他们的健康状况。

洗手间位于游客中心和熊猫广场。

美洲野牛展览位于熊猫广场对面。

亚洲径毗邻猎豹保育站。 游客可以在此观察大熊猫、小熊猫、亚洲小爪水獭、渔猫、云豹和懒熊。 每天下午 1 点 15 分左右 饲养员向懒熊扔新的食物和营养品（取决于天气）。

Cheetah Conservation Station

The Cheetah Conservation Station is home to more than just cheetahs. Zebras, red river hogs, sitatunga and Abyssinian ground hornbills all reside here as well — along with some of the most threatened species in the world, including Dama gazelles and scimitar-horned oryx. Several animals at the Cheetah Conservation Station share space in mixed-species exhibits, providing the animals an opportunity to interact just as they would in their native habitats.

Scientists at the Zoo and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have been studying the behavior, breeding and health of many species at the Cheetah Conservation Station. At SCBI, biologists collect behavior and hormone data on cheetah populations to optimize breeding success. The Zoo’s reproductive physiologists pioneered artificial insemination techniques for the scimitar-horned oryx to ensure reproduction between valuable but behaviorally incompatible pairs. Like cheetahs and oryx, maned wolves and Dama gazelles participate in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. Staff at SCBI are working to understand reproductive behavior and physiology, parental behavior, infant behavior and development, nutrition, health and disease of these species.

The Zoo’s Gabon Biodiversity Program has been on the front lines of integrating conservation needs with development priorities to sustain biodiversity in Gabon and training the next generation of conservation practitioners. The Gamba Complex of Protected Areas in southwestern Gabon is rich in biodiversity, encompassing many habitat types and species of concern, including gorillas, forest elephants and sea turtles.

Cheetah Conservation Station keepers provide the animals with enrichment—enclosures, socialization, objects, sounds, smells and other stimuli—to enhance their well-being and give them an outlet to demonstrate their species-typical behaviors. An exhibit’s design is carefully and deliberately planned to provide physically and mentally stimulating toys, activities, and environments for the Zoo’s animals. Each enrichment is tailored to give an animal the opportunity to use its natural behaviors in novel and exciting ways. As with any enrichment activity, an animal can either choose to participate or not.

To encourage the animals to forage as they would in the wild, keepers scatter food throughout the exhibit or place it in various puzzle feeders in the yards. They receive numerous feedings in various locations to keep them moving throughout the day. For animals such as Dama gazelles and scimitar-horned oryx, keepers will place leaf-eater biscuits inside bobbin feeders. The animals must spin, turn and otherwise manipulate the feeder to make the treat fall out.

Several animals at the Cheetah Conservation Station share space in mixed-species exhibits, providing the animals an opportunity to interact just as they would in their native habitats. But even the animals that don’t share the same exhibit—such as the cheetahs and the zebras—can interact and socialize with each other. A zebra often gallops along the fence that separates the two species’ enclosures, and the cheetahs will run alongside. The interaction encourages natural behaviors—all from a safe distance.

In addition to environmental enrichment, many animals participate in training sessions. This social enrichment provides an animal with exercise and mental stimulation while reinforcing the relationship between an animal and his/her keeper. Cheetahs Justin and Bakari were trained to participate in blood draws, which enabled animal care staff to monitor their health.

Restrooms are located at the Visitor Center and Panda Plaza.

The American Bison exhibit is located across from Panda Plaza.

Asia Trail is located adjacent to Cheetah Conservation Station. Visitors can observe giant pandas, red pandas, Asian small-clawed otters, fishing cats, clouded leopards and sloth bears at this location. Each day around 1:15 p.m. keepers toss novel foods and enrichment items to the sloth bears (weather dependent).