Koch Talks to Washington Post About Saudi Arabia’s Record Donation to the Smithsonian National Zoo

March 31, 2026

The Washington Post

Natalie Koch

Geography & the Environment Department

Central Asia & the Caucasus Initiative

Middle Eastern Studies Program

Government

International Affairs

Middle East & North Africa

Washington, D.C.

The Washington Post

Natalie Koch

Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for AlUla is donating a record $51.6 million to the Smithsonian National Zoo to fund a new exhibit featuring a critically endangered breeding pair of Arabian leopards, set to open in 2029.

Experts say the gift serves Saudi Arabia's soft-power interests—boosting its international image and promoting AlUla as a tourist destination—while the zoo gains its largest private donation ever for a long-term conservation and breeding partnership.

“The ultimate goal is to increase the profile of AlUla on the international horizon,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “This is a place that they are trying to introduce to the world.”

Koch says Gulf states prize Washington partnerships above all others—not just because of the American audience they reach but also the signal they send to in-country superiors.

“An easy way to show that you are waving the Saudi flag in an appropriate way and in a way that supports the country and its investments and its interests is by doing that in D.C. in particular,” Koch says.

Read more in the Washington Post article, “ Saudi Arabia’s record donation to the National Zoo buys more than an exhibit.”