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Jaguars and otters help Girl Scouts celebrate a 40-year-old icon

Photos by Stan Milkowski/Woodland Park Zoo



Junior the jaguar encountered a 40-year-old icon in his exhibit: the samoa cookie! As Girl Scouts of Western Washington celebrate the 40th birthday of the popular cookie, Junior received a giant samoa-inspired piñata stuffed with fish and topped with real coconut. We admit: it’s not exactly the same recipe the Girl Scouts use!


Next up the Asian small-clawed otter family proved their ability to turn anything into a game when they got their hands—and teeth, and feet, and tails—onto, into and all over an empty box of the iconic cookies.


Girl Scouts of Western Washington has been a great supporter of the zoo throughout the years—they have volunteered hours of service, contributed cookie fund donations, and joined us for many of our own zoo celebrations. They came to party, and the Girl Scouts who attended were decked out in cookie-inspired party gear!


You can follow the party all week long by looking for #SamoaSightings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


The Girl Scout-themed treats are part of our enrichment activities for the animals, which are designed to kickstart their natural instincts, from the predatory skills of the jaguar to the dexterous play of the otters. A special thanks goes to the zoo volunteer who crafted the incredible papier-mâché cookie piñata!

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