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Zoo finds new home for its last hippo, Lupe: Final day to see Lupe will be September 24

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications For more than 50 years, hippos have been a popular pachyderm and one of the most adored animals at Woodland Park Zoo. For the long-term benefits and well-being of its only hippo, female Lupe, the zoo will bid farewell and move her to a new home where she can thrive in the company of other hippos.  Lupe in the pool. Photo by Brit Powers/Woodland Park Zoo Lupe, 24, currently lives in the hippo habitat in the African Savanna. Tuesday, September 24, will be the last day to see and wish her well on her new adventure. Guadalupe, fondly called Lupe by her friends and fans, was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and moved to Woodland Park Zoo in 2003. Lupe became Woodland Park Zoo’s last remaining hippo when its beloved geriatric hippo Lily was humanely euthanized in April due to declining health and quality of life following a cancer diagnosis. The zoo has been working with the Hippo Species Survival Plan to identify a new home. She will be moved to a zo
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Brown bear Juniper gets a wellness checkup!

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Hi Juniper! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Editor’s note: Big thanks to animal keeper Maddie Weholt for all the great info! Whether it’s for animals or for people, a regular visit to the doctor’s office is part of a good healthcare and wellness routine. But what about when it’s for a 400-pound-and-still-growing young brown bear? This July, our animal care team performed a complete routine physical on the well-known and well-loved 2-½-year-old female—and she passed her exam with flying colors! But what does a doctor’s appointment look like for a big bear like Juniper? Let us take a behind-the-scenes peek at all the ins, outs and in-betweens of Juniper’s day at the “doctor’s office.” Aside from medical care for illness or injury, all our animals get routine health and wellness checkups—but how often that happens depends on the species and what our veterinary staff recommends to best meet their needs. In the case of our brown bear

Save wildlife, protect forests, support farmers: Get limited-edition Tree Kangaroo Conservation Coffee at Woodland Park Zoo and Caffe Vita

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Ahhhh ... a fresh and delicious cup of conservation coffee! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo You can sip a world of good with this conservation coffee! Beginning tomorrow, September 6, a limited offering of Tree Kangaroo Conservation Coffee is available for purchase at Woodland Park Zoo and Caffe Vita! The delicious brew is a collaboration between Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) and Caffe Vita. Sourced directly from farmers in Papua New Guinea (PNG), these 100% Arabica varietal beans, roasted by Caffe Vita, are grown under the shade of tree canopy in village gardens across 400,000 acres of protected forest in the YUS Conservation Area, named for the Yopno, Uruwa and Som rivers that flow through it. This special coffee from PNG helps protect endangered Matschie's tree kangaroos and the forests they live in. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo “This coffee is fully traceable; we know the f

Baby gorilla has arrived safely at new home, Louisville Zoo. Baby, now named Abeo, will soon meet his foster mom and gorilla family!

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Our gorilla care team has lovingly named this baby Abeo, which means "bringer of happiness" in the Yoruba language. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren A week ago, Woodland Park Zoo announced its critical decision to move its 1½-month-old male gorilla to another zoo to ensure he is raised by gorillas and grows up as a gorilla. He has safely arrived at his new home, Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, where he will be socialized with a foster gorilla mom and multigenerational family of gorillas. Woodland Park Zoo’s gorilla care team has lovingly named the baby gorilla, Abeo (ah-beh-OH), which means “bringer of happiness” in Yoruba, after a language spoken in West Africa. This is Kweli, an experienced, nurturing mother and surrogate. Photo courtesy of Louisville Zoo. Every precautionary measure was taken for the baby gorilla’s travel to reduce his health exposure and ensure his safe arrival. A Woodland Park Zoo gorilla caretaker and veterinarian accomp

Come say goodbye to Malayan tapir Ulan! Last chance to show her some love before she moves to new home is August 27.

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Ulan, with her calf Sempurna, in 2020. At the end of the month, Woodland Park Zoo will say goodbye to its last remaining Malayan tapir, Ulan. The 12-year-old female will head to Fresno Chaffee Zoo, an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accredited zoo in Fresno, California. The last day to show Ulan some love will be August 27 in the Trail of Vines habitat. Tapirs are among the most primitive large mammals in the world, changing little in appearance for millions of years. These prehistoric-looking animals are long and similar to the weight of a light horse. They have a short, prehensile nose which they use to pluck leaves and fruit. Tapirs are excellent swimmers and use their snouts as snorkels! Because they have an odd number of toes (four toes on each front foot, three on each back foot), their closest relatives are horses and rhinos. Ulan and her daughter, Sempurna, sit side by side in 2020. Ulan arrived at Wo

What to expect when expecting a baby orangutan: Batu's "baby on the way any day now" edition!

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher Beautiful Batu is preparing to become a mother! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo In June we shared the happy news that, for the first time in 35 years, one of Woodland Park Zoo’s orangutans is pregnant and expecting a baby soon! Sumatran orangutan, Batu, is 14 years old and is due to give birth any day now. The father is 15-year-old Godek, who is also a Sumatran orangutan. This will be the first offspring for both of them. Thirty-five-year-old male Heran and 43-year-old female Belawan (Bela) round out our orangutan group. They live in a separate but adjacent area from Godek and Batu. Since making this exciting announcement, we have heard from many of you, offering well-wishes and asking for an update on how everything is going. So, without further ado, here are the answers to some of your questions, courtesy of our experts—orangutan keeper Laura McComesky and interim animal care manager Rachel Vass. Beautiful Batu is eating her greens and ge

Snow leopard cubs make their big, bouncy, pouncy public debut—and they all have names!

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Three snow leopard cubs born at Woodland Park Zoo now have names! Their names are Lenny, Phyllis and Raya. Lenny, male, and Phyllis, female, were named by special friends of the zoo; Raya (RYE-uh), female, was named by Woodland Park Zoo animal keepers. The three cubs have been busy exploring and getting familiar with the public habitat and can now be seen by guests! The best chance to catch a glimpse of these cuties is daily between 9:30 a.m. and noon. The cubs were born on Memorial Day to mom Marai, 7, and dad Aibek, 6. This is their first litter of cubs after they were paired under the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. Since snow leopards are solitary animals in the wild, the cubs’ father and grandmother Helen are housed separately. Guests can see either Aibek and Helen, 19