Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Take your pic with the #Tallest12 Some of the shortest 12s pose with the #Tallest12. Photo: Caileigh Robertson/Woodland Park Zoo. Wear your Seahawks gear and come pose with the #Tallest12. Photo: Caileigh Robertson/Woodland Park Zoo. For Seahawks Twelfies, take selfies next to a cutout sign of Misawa, the zoo’s 6-month-old, 9-foot-tall giraffe, who is Seattle’s #Tallest 12 decked out in Seahawks colors. Take your pic with the cutout at the zoo's West Entrance and share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #Tallest12 to show the wild side of your Blue Pride. (Zoo admission is not required to take your photo, but remember—wearing your Seahawks gear gets you  $3 off zoo admission  through Sunday.) Legion of Boom The Legion of Boom. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. In honor of the Seahawks’ secondary, Woodland Park Zoo has named our four Asian small-clawed otter boys after the Legion of Boom. The pu...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications We can’t believe the time has already come to see our four young lions move on to the next stage of their lives. Born in November 2012, brothers Pelo and Rudo and sisters Busela and Nobuhle are now nearly the size of their mother, Adia. It’s hard not to think of them as our babies, but the foursome is maturing and getting closer to breeding age. This winter, each cub will be moving to a new home at an accredited zoo. This gives them the opportunity to pair up with new mates and eventually begin their own families through the Species Survival Plan conservation breeding program , while also making room for potential new cubs at Woodland Park Zoo. The male cubs began growing in their manes last summer. Photo: Dennis Dow/WPZ There are lots of comings and goings to keep track of as the pride reshapes over the next few weeks. Here’s what has been happening and what is coming up next: Inside the crate is young male lion, Pelo, being loa...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications By day, he’s systems technician Chris K. from the zoo’s IT department. But by night (err, well, by around 3:00 p.m.), he’s Bat Man. Chris K. teaches the students about bats in our own backyard and around the world. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. At least, that’s what the kids in Woodland Park Zoo’s middle school after-school program, ZooCrew , call him. Chris is one of the latest zoo staffers to join the growing list of mentors who help ZooCrew kids see a future for themselves in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) career. ZooCrew instructors work with the students all semester long and bring in help from mentors like Chris when the students are ready to try their hands at career-focused projects. With a passion for defending bats from their undeserved reputation and from mounting conservation threats , Chris was a great match to lead students from Eckstein, Mercer, Washington, Madison and Chinook Middle Schools through a ...

Plus meet Dr. Robert Long, WPZ’s first Senior Conservation Fellow Posted by: Dr. Deborah B. Jensen, President and CEO President Jensen. Photo by Matt Hagen. December 2013 marked the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, a successful, complex and at times controversial federal law that has protected many of our most prized wildlife species from extinction. As we enter the New Year, the future of two native Northwest species hangs in the balance. Currently, gray wolves are being considered for delisting from the Federal Endangered and Threatened Species protections, while Oregon spotted frogs are being considered for listing . Under other circumstances, it would be hard to find a stage, outside of a Grimm brothers’ fairytale perhaps, in which both of these species shared a national spotlight. At the zoo, kids are learning all about wild wolves and other carnivores, including humans’ misconceptions of them, in our Zoo Crew and new Coexisting with Carnivores educat...

Humans aren't the only animals that hug. On this National Hug Day, let's take a cue from the very social meerkats, who use touch to strengthen the bonds in their group. Photo: Dale Unruh/Woodland Park Zoo. XOXO.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Photos: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo The Seahawks 12s are getting wilder than ever. Today penguins, Asian small-clawed otters, wolves, river otters, meerkats and lemurs joined the roster. Together we’re cheering on the Hawks as they advance to the NFC Championship. As they keep winning, you keep saving—take $3 off zoo admission when you sport your Seahawks gear through their run for the Super Bowl. When zookeeper Celine Pardo tossed a bucket full o’ footballs to the Humboldt penguins, we learned how penguins rush—let’s call it Beak Mode. Cortez the penguin took it to the next level, waving his flag for all the 12s out there. The Asian small-clawed otters huddled to come up with their next play. The other team will never see this gnawesome play coming. Every team needs a dependable kicker. If you want a wolf to keep possession, douse the ball with pineapple extract, anise extract and a spritz of musky cologne...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Birthday banner? Check! Party horns? Got 'em. Now, where are the birthday boys… Aha! There they are…sleeping right through their own 20th birthday! That’s right—Woodland Park Zoo’s grizzly bear brothers, Keema and Denali, turn 20 today, and they are celebrating with a big ol’ snooze. Winter is a time of torpor for these bears, which means their activity level is low and their interest in our party horn shenanigans is non-existent. But we can’t let a milestone birthday like this one go unrecognized. After all, we remember these guys when they were just this big: Brothers hanging out at 1 year old in 1995. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. That’s Keema and Denali at one year old exploring their Northern Trail home, opened in 1994. Cut to 2014 and the 20 year olds each weigh in at just over 850 pounds. My, how they have grown! Brothers still hanging out as adults. Photo: Ryan Hawk/WPZ. It’s uncommon for two adult grizz...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Winning photo by Instagram user momsasaurus Your votes are in—the winner of our #WPZWildLights photo contest is Instagram user momsasaurus! She’ll enjoy a behind-the-scenes Real Close tour, penguin feeding experience and ZooParent adoption. Congrats again to all of our finalists. Thanks for voting, everyone! Finalist: Rick Wade submitted via Facebook. Finalist: Karen Gallup submitted via email. Finalist: Kate Janson submitted via email. Finalist: Yoshiki Nakamura submitted via email.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Commnunications Save $3 on zoo admission when sporting Seahawks gear beginning Jan. 11 through the run for the Super Bowl! As the Seattle Seahawks hit the field for the NFC divisional playoff, Woodland Park Zoo is #TappedIn and will offer an admission discount to fans showing their Blue Pride. Beginning Saturday, January 11, visitors wearing garb or paraphernalia such as a jersey, sweatshirt, hat or beads will receive $3 off zoo admission every day as long as the Seahawks stay alive in the run for the Super Bowl. The admission discount applies only to the child or adult wearing the Seahawks sportswear and is not to be combined with other discounts or promotions. Gather round, 12th man, and catch the broadcast of the Seahawks vs. Saints game in the zoo’s Rain Forest Food Pavilion on January 11. The zoo closes at 4:00 p.m. daily but fans will be allowed to remain in the restaurant until the end of the game that day. (Photo: OK, OK, technically thi...

Posted by: Kate Neville, Corporate and Foundation Gifts Officer Photos by Kate Neville/Woodland Park Zoo I slouch lower in the boat and pull my hat further down over my face. It’s hot. The relentless tropical sun sends rivers of sweat down my neck…and we still have several hours to go before reaching our destination. This boat ride is the last leg of a two-day journey from Lae to the village of Ronji, a remote community in Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Province. My traveling companions are Woodland Park Zoo's  Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program Director Dr. Lisa Dabek, and TKCP staff members Benjamin Sipa, Karau Kuna and Mikal Nolan. We’re traveling to the coastal village of Ronji to participate in a ceremony celebrating the community’s new bridge and field office. TKCP helped construct the bridge and office at the community’s request, thanks to support from Conservation International, the German Development Bank and Woodland Park Zoo. I glance back to the stern, where the captain...