Monday, February 28, 2011
Otter wins WPZ Best Picture
The King's Speech may have taken home the Oscar, but the academy of zoo fans voted for their own Best Picture this past week and the award goes to...
This otter video, featuring our two river otters enjoying a heart-shaped, fish-filled popsicle for Valentine's Day, took home the prize of WPZ Best Picture with 29% of the vote.
We want to thank you all for voting! It helps us get a better sense of what types of videos you all enjoy most and sparks some ideas for what we might do next. Stay tuned to this blog or our YouTube channel to catch new videos when they debut--one of them may just be a Best Picture winner next year.
Video produced by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Animal spotlight: Nina
This is the second installment of our new series: Animal Spotlight.
Everybody knows Nina… if not by name then by sight. Yes, she has wrinkles (we call them her “distinguishing character lines”). Yes, she is a little bit round (hey, she’s short for her weight). She often holds a stick (every 43-year-old female should have a scepter or staff). Her favorite colors are red and pink, and yes, her tongue does stick out when she is relaxed!
At the gorilla unit we can all tell Nina’s mood by what we call the “tongue gauge.” When annoyed, her lips purse tightly and her tongue is completely in her mouth. But when relaxed and happy, out comes the tongue!
This year Nina turned 43. She is our oldest female western lowland gorilla here at Woodland Park Zoo. Now a great grandmother, Nina has seen a lot of changes at the zoo. She is very relaxed and unfazed when the younger female gorillas act up and is considered the solid rock in the group. She keeps everything stable and the daily routine moving. Even though Nina may not get very excited about the regular gorilla dramas like the younger girls do, she does get excited about food. She never lets anything get in her way during meal time!
When Nina does get excited, cover your ears, because she vocalizes unlike any of our other resident gorillas. Her normal content grunt gets really loud and sounds like a braying donkey!
Nina is now post-reproductive, but has had four kids (Wanto, Kamilah, Zuri and Alafia, all at other zoos), 14 grandkids and three great grandchildren! Wow! What a legacy! Nina is considered geriatric but she is in relatively good health for her age. The average life expectancy of gorillas in captivity is into their 30s, with the record being 55. Constantly improving health care and husbandry keeps these numbers increasing. Like any older animal (or person) Nina does have some unique needs due to her age. Some Metamucil every day helps keep things moving and a daily dose of Cosequin helps with her arthritis.Although Nina is getting older and would be well past the eligibility requirement for an AARP discount if she were human, she’s still a spunky gorilla who loves being with her girls in the troop, sitting in the sun on warm Seattle days, and of course, she loves any extra servings at dinner time!
Photos (from top): Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo, Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo, Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo, Dennis Conner/Woodland Park Zoo, Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
More joey spotting

The joey was born at Woodland Park Zoo last September to first-time mother Fergie and father Harry. Fergie is on public view in the zoo’s Australasia exhibit and can be identified by the green tag in her right ear.
You’ll most often find her in the indoor portion of the exhibit (except on sunny days when she ventures outside) and your best chance to get a glimpse of the joey is when she cleans her pouch.
Photos by Wendy Gardner/Woodland Park Zoo.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Vote for WPZ Best Picture
The Oscars are coming up and we have some Best Picture nominees of our own featuring Woodland Park Zoo’s superstars—our animals, our staff and our conservation efforts.
We’ve picked five top nominees from videos produced in 2010 for our YouTube channel and now through February 27, you can cast your vote here for your Best Picture choice.
And the Best Picture nominees are...
Lion training
Penguin chicks
Flamingo squeaks
Moment of silence
Otter valentine
Cast your vote for WPZ Best Picture
We’re always experimenting with video ideas and our diverse nominees show off that variety. Your votes and feedback help us understand what our viewers want and help shape upcoming videos. Thanks for participating!
Videos produced by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. See more at www.youtube.com/woodlandparkzoo.
Friday, February 18, 2011
First pics of Fergie's new baby
Posted by: Ric Brewer, Communications
That’s not an alien poking a snaky arm out of wallaroo Fergie’s pouch, but the naked tail of her young joey.

Young wallaroos, a type of small kangaroo from Australia, are born weighing less than a gram and roughly the size of a bean. The blind, hairless babies make the long trek after birth into the mother’s pouch where they suckle and develop over several months.

Fergie’s joey, born September 14th, currently weighs somewhere in the range of 500-1,000 grams and at a little over 6 months old, is only just beginning to be seen sticking arms, legs or, in this case, its tail, outside mom’s pouch. By around 7 months, the joey will emerge from the pouched, fully furred but remaining close to mom for another 3-4 months—about late June or early July for this joey. The gender of the joey isn't yet known.
Fergie is on exhibit in our Australasia exhibit. The best chance to get a glimpse of the joey is when Fergie is cleaning her pouch, even though zoo visitors can see the joey moving about inside the pouch. Fergie generally spends her time in the indoor portion of the exhibit unless it’s a nice, sunny day. Look for the green tag in her right ear.
Photos by Dennis Dow
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Keeper connects young family with elephants
What do 44-year-old elephant Bamboo, 42-year-old elephant Watoto, 32-year-old elephant Chai, and 5-year-old human Karina have in common? A special bond with Woodland Park Zoo elephant keeper Russ Roach.




Now back in Seattle, Russ and the other elephant keepers celebrated the three elephants’ birthdays recently with cornmeal cakes and gift wrapped boxes of fruit for Boo, Tot and Chai.



Photo credits (from top): Foree Family, Emily Schumacher/Woodland Park Zoo, Brian Tyl, Foree Family, Russ Roach/Woodland Park Zoo, Foree Family, Foree Family, Foree Family.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine’s spotlight: Zoo members tie the knot
The zoo’s lush 92 acres make a naturalistic home for more than 1,000 animals—and a stunning backdrop for any wedding. In the spirit of romance on this Valentine’s Day, we’re highlighting one of the many weddings held at Woodland Park Zoo in the last year—the wedding of Seattle lovebirds Ethan and Anne Loomis Thompson.


“The Woodland Park Rose Garden was the most beautiful place we saw in Seattle,” Anne tells us. “And we were inspired to know that having our wedding there would also mean helping to support conservation efforts that get local people involved in preserving their native species and habitat.”


Have you held your wedding or attended a wedding at Woodland Park Zoo? We’d love to see your photos! Feel free to post them any time to our Facebook page and show off your big day.
Photos by La Luz Photography, courtesy Ethan and Anne Loomis Thompson.
Friday, February 11, 2011
New spots at zoo
Where’s dad? Like in the wild, mother ocelots care for their young alone. Brazil is keeping his distance and can be seen on exhibit in the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest. Curator Mark Myers tells us that Bella, an experienced mother, has been providing excellent round-the-clock and protective maternal care. The kitten is nursing regularly and has a healthy, round belly.
Want to help support Woodland Park Zoo and the care of our animals? Text WPZ to 20222 to donate $5 to the zoo today. Messaging and data rates may apply. For details visit www.zoo.org/text2give.
Photos by Jamie Delk/Woodland Park Zoo. Video produced by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The way to an otter’s heart
A splash of fruit juice, a handful of smelt, and lotsa love are surefire ingredients to a river otter’s heart.

Our annual Valentine’s Day enrichment event is coming up on Saturday, and we gave press a sneak peek of the action today when we let our river otters indulge in some fish-filled, heart-shaped ice pops.
River otters Sunny, a 15-year-old female, and Duncan, a 13-year-old male, swam with amazing speed and agility to chase after the pops that were dropped into their pool in the award-winning Northern Trail exhibit.
After munching their way through the ice pops, we gave the otters another enrichment opportunity—a heart-shaped wreath stuffed with frozen smelt.
The wreath proved the perfect size for the otters to swim through as they picked off the frozen fish.
Love will be in the air for the zoo’s other animal ambassadors as they celebrate Valentine’s Day with heart-shaped ice pops, herbal bouquets, heart-shaped steaks, and more on Saturday, Feb. 12, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.Here’s the full schedule of enrichment activities for Saturday:
- Golden lion tamarins 10:00
- Snow leopards 10:30
- Otters 10:30
- Jaguar 11:00
- Orangutans 11:00
- Lemurs 11:15
- Willawong Station 11:30
- Sloth bear 11:30
- Anoa 11:45
- Penguins 1:00
- Goats 1:15
- Gorillas 1:20
- Meerkats 1:30
- Pigs 1:30
- Keas 1:30
- Lions 2:00
- Elephants 2:00
- Red pandas 3:00
The special treats are part of the zoo’s ongoing enrichment program to help enrich the lives of the animals by promoting natural animal behavior, such as foraging, playing and exploring, keeping animals mentally and physically stimulated and engaging zoo visitors.
Make it a date and bring your valentine!
Photos (from top): Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo, Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo, Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo, Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo, Mat Hayward/Woodland Park Zoo, Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Animal spotlight: Naku
Introducing a new series to the blog...

- a rowdy 10-year-old gorilla;
- with ears that stick out;
- a female in silverback Pete’s troop;
- who is leaving soon to start a new family?

Naku’s 10th birthday was a very significant gorilla birthday. Her first double-digit birthday is a milestone that means she is mature enough physically and emotionally to become part of the cooperative breeding effort known as the Gorillas Species Survival Plan. This timing corresponds to the age at which wild gorillas begin to venture off to look for a new group to belong to, or begin a new dynasty. Her mother, Alafia, is now at Los Angeles Zoo where it’s hoped that she will join the ranks of motherhood, while her father Vip remains here, as do Naku’s grandmother Nina and grandfather Pete.


Photos (from top): Dennis Conner/Woodland Park Zoo; Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo; Adria Saracino/Woodland Park Zoo; book cover courtesy Dr. Amy Vedder and Bill Weber.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Do the pedal wave
Seattle sports fans are well known for doing the wave, but did you know that snails also perform their own version?
Here's a short video clip of our Partula snails doing what’s called the pedal wave:
To get from place to place, snails first lay down a trail of mucus. Then they essentially surf over a trail of their slime. But that's only half of the story. Snails also have two types of muscles working in conjunction to propel them forward. A set of light and dark colored bands of muscle fibers relax and contract, in a process called a pedal wave. These muscles pull the snail forward while the other fibers push from behind.
The same process works with most gastropod species, i.e., snails, a Latin term meaning "stomach-foot" that accurately sums up their anatomical structure!
And that super tiny snail in the clip? That’s a baby Partula, that starts out life little more than the size of the head of a pin, and is seen here at about a third of the size of a Tic Tac.
Though small, these snails are a big hope for a species that was once found in Tahiti but has now gone extinct in the wild. Woodland Park Zoo is working cooperatively with five others zoos to breed Partula with the hope of eventually reintroducing them to their Tahitian homeland and restoring their wiped out population.
Video: edited by Kirsten Pisto, produced by Ryan Hawk, cameo by Ric Brewer.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Animal enrichment enriching for families too
As the Child and Family Program Coordinator here at Woodland Park Zoo, I must admit that I do spend a fair amount of time at my desk. But every now and then, I get to take part in some amazing opportunities that could happen nowhere else. One of these amazing experiences was in a class for families that I taught recently, which will be offered again this spring, called Animal Enrichment.






I’ve taught many classes in my time here at the zoo but this one has to be one of my favorites. We are offering this exciting program again in May and registration is now open online! Woodland Park Zoo offers a variety of classes and camps for people of all ages. See our website at www.zoo.org/education/classes for our current offerings or to register for a program. I hope to see you at the zoo soon!
Photos: Grizzly bear and jaguar by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Animal enrichment class by Nicole Aragon/Woodland Park Zoo.