Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is bursting with pride as it announces the birth of two South African lions—the first birth of lions at the zoo since 2014!  Scenes from the den cam where Ilanga is bonding with her cubs, Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo’s animal health team did a quick health assessment of the cubs and determined both cubs are female.  The cubs were born Wednesday, January 14 to first-time parents, mom Ilanga and dad Tandie. Mom and cubs are currently living in the off-view maternity den where the new family can bond in comfortable, quiet surroundings. The father remains separated from the cubs and mother until the cubs are older.  Photo by animal keeper Matthew Cline, Woodland Park Zoo Photo by animal keeper Matthew Cline, Woodland Park Zoo According to Martin Ramirez, Curator of Mammalogy at Woodland Park Zoo, the average litter size for lions is two to three, so this is a typical litter. “As a first-time mother, Ilanga so far is doi...

Posted by Jeana Chaffin, Events, with Tianyu Every night during WildLanterns, Woodland Park Zoo's PACCAR Auditorium lights up with awe-inspiring acrobatic performances at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 pm. Audiences leave buzzing with whispers of “How did they do that?” thanks to four extraordinary Tianyu performers, who blend centuries-old traditions with modern showmanship! Here’s a closer look at the artists and the incredible acts they bring to the stage. Rolling Cylinder Acrobatics Performed by Zhang Jianguo (张建国) Imagine balancing on a metal cylinder… then stacking another on top… and another. Rolling Cylinder Acrobatics is a breathtaking blend of strength, control, and nerve. Perched atop swaying metal tubes, the performer moves through spins, jumps, and even handstands, all while maintaining perfect balance. This act has deep roots in ancient Chinese court performances, dating as far back as the Han Dynasty. Over the centuries, traditional balancing skills evolved into today’s slee...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications    Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo  December 9th is International Day of Veterinary Medicine—a day to honor the hard work of all veterinary professionals for the health and well-being of animals. From infancy through geriatric and comfort care, we have an amazing team of veterinarians, licensed veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants and animal keepers who all contribute to ensuring the animals in our care have everything they need to live their best lives. To mark the day, we spoke to one of the newer members of Woodland Park Zoo's Animal Health Team, Associate Veterinarian Dr. Laura St Clair, to find out more about her journey to working in veterinary medicine. Dr. St Clair always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian! Hi Dr. St Clair. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. When did you know that you wanted to be a veterinarian ... and what do you think was the motivation for that c...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Editor’s note: Big thanks and appreciation to Woodland Park Zoo Veterinary Technicians Barb Brush and Leah Miyamoto for sharing the important work they do! Woodland Park Zoo’s mission to inspire conservation and save wildlife begins, in part, with the health and wellness of all the species and individual animals that call our zoo home. Providing top notch veterinary care is more than just diagnosing illness and treating injuries. It also includes promoting wellness and providing treatment options and preventative health care so that all our animals—from a newborn gorilla to a geriatric penguin—have the opportunity to thrive! A physical rehabilitation program can include laser and massage. A blue laser light helps fight infection and a red laser, seen here on 25-year-old Humboldt penguin Pupito, promotes tissue healing. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo For nearly two decades, a dedicated team of our skilled veterinary technicians ...

Posted by Katie Remine, Wildlife Conservation A lantern that's easy to spot! Spotted lanternfly WildLantern! As you stroll the beautiful and luminous wonderland of WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo this year, keep your eyes peeled for the colorful spotted lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) between the zoo’s 1899 Grove and Tropical Rain Forest. Enjoy the stunning beauty of these insects, native to subtropical regions of southeast Asia including eastern China, in the form of larger-than-life glowing lanterns! After your WildLanterns experience, we encourage you to keep your eyes peeled for these beautiful insects around Washington and the Pacific northwest (though the real ones are much smaller, about an inch long!) even though they are not native to our region. If you should see one anywhere in Washington or the Pacific northwest, take a photo and report it!  Photo of spotted lanternfly by Tom Field via iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/589172682 These insects, a true...

Posted by Paula MacKay, Living Northwest Conservation Photos by Paula MacKay As a child growing up in Boston, most of my wildlife sightings comprised gray squirrels and American robins—maybe the occasional urban raccoon. But on Sunday nights, a silver-haired zoologist named Marlin Perkins came into my family’s living room and transported me to a much bigger world of animals, where close encounters with species I’d never even heard of ignited my imagination and helped seed my future in carnivore conservation. That little girl in yellow feet pajamas, who sat mesmerized watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom while her animal-loving mom knit mittens and hats, could never have dreamed that one day she’d be featured on the program. And the wildlife she’d be studying? Wolverines! Photo by Mutual of Omaha Fast forward five decades, and I found myself on a flight to Billings, Montana, where my husband (WPZ’s Dr. Robert Long) and I were to be filmed for a future episode of the show’s new itera...