Posted by Kizz Prusia, Communications
Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo
There really is no place like home. Home is where we rest,
relax and where we go to recharge. For our residents—the 1,200 animals who
call Woodland Park Zoo home— home is where they snooze, play, explore and snack.
Seeing Woodland Park Zoo as a home is crucial to how we care
for our animals—and just like your home—the zoo needs improvement from time to
time to stay in top condition.
We are extremely grateful to Seattle voters for passing the
Seattle Park District ballot measure nearly three years ago. The funding
provided by the Park District—about $1.8 million a year—goes toward maintaining
our dens, trees, caves, hot rocks, roofs and watering holes.
With this funding, we are able to update old parts of the
zoo and keep new parts well-maintained. We consider this “home improvement” to
also be preventative maintenance. We’d like to highlight a couple of important
projects we have done around the zoo this year.
Keep warm, keep well
Some of our favorite memories are made around warmth.
Snuggled up under blankets, cozy and sharing the heat with people we love. Baby
gorilla Yola and mom Nadiri share the warmth with each other in the gorilla den
they call home.
The gorilla dens at the zoo just got a
major upgrade. With the design and final installation of a new air-handling and
heating system, the gorillas will be cozy for months to come. These additions
were completed at the end of September. This type of
improvement allows the zoo to continue to provide excellent welfare just in
time for the winter months. Thanks to Seattle Park District funding for making
it possible to stay cozy.
Walk this way
The zoo’s Northern
Trail Boardwalk replacement project has begun! With Seattle Park District
funding, Woodland Park Zoo will be able to entirely replace the original wood
structure which has stood since 1993.
The Northern Trail mimics the habitat of Alaska’s tundra and
taiga region and features animals that make this area their home including:
brown bears, Roosevelt elk, river otters, snowy owls, mountain goat and
Steller’s sea eagles. The new design was completed in June of 2017, followed by construction, which will continue throughout the end of the year. The new boardwalk
leading in and out of the area will make it easier for guests to visit the
animals and was made possible by Park District funding.
Could I trouble you for some browse?
When we are not busy making changes for home improvement and preventative maintenance we are busy sharing meals with those we love. At
the zoo meals for several animals is browse—branches, twigs, and other forms of
vegetation—and is typically collected by the horticulture team.
This past month the
zoo’s Horticulture team received a helping hand from City of Seattle Parks and Recreation. After hearing from the zoo, Parks promptly responded and helped the
zoo collect willow and alder to be shared by #seattlestallestdad Dave. In all,
two truckloads of browse were dumped at the giraffe barn.
Although there is an existing connection to Parks through the
Seattle Parks District, this food gathering was a unique experience. This was
the first joint collection of browse between Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle
Parks for Dave. We plan on continuing this collection work together moving
forward.
We are very thankful to Seattle voters and Seattle Parks for
helping us make the zoo a better home for all of our animals!
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