DC Zoo to re-open Wednesday after bomb threat

by Lauren Sforza - 08/29/23 1:36 PM ET

The gate of the closed Smithsonian’s National Zoo is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Washington. Smithsonian’s National Zoo due to the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump is convening a border security briefing Wednesday for Democratic and Republican congressional leaders as a partial government shutdown over his demand for border wall funding entered its 12th day. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. will reopen Wednesday after a bomb threat prompted it to temporarily close Tuesday afternoon.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) found no evidence of a threat after completing a sweep of the zoo on Tuesday. In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the zoo said it would be closed for the remainder of Tuesday, but that it will reopen Wednesday.

An MPD spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that its Explosive Ordinance Disposal Squad “conducted a precautionary sweep of the zoo and found no hazardous materials.”

The zoo announced shortly after noon Tuesday that it would be temporarily closed due to the bomb threat, noting that it had evacuated employees and visitors “out of an abundance of caution.”

“The Zoo is temporarily closed due to a bomb threat. Reopening information will be posted when it becomes available. All other Smithsonian museums are open. Out of an abundance of caution, staff and visitors have been evacuated as the Metropolitan Police Department investigates,” the zoo posted on X at about 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The MPD spokesperson said police responded to the bomb threat at the zoo shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday. The zoo received the threat via email at about 10:42 a.m., the spokesperson said.

Streets near the zoo were shut down, according to police. The 2900-3100 block of Connecticut Avenue NW has now been reopened.

This story was updated at 2:46 p.m.

Tags National Zoo National Zoo