Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications and Katie Remine, Field Conservation Can you spot the amphibian in the photo below? We'll give you some clues: it's native to the Pacific Northwest, grows to be about two inches long, is mostly nocturnal, loves the dampness of our area and is the official Washington State amphibian! This Pacific tree frog has perfect camouflage to blend with damp, wet forest leaves. Photo: Diana Koch/Woodland Park Zoo Amphibian Monitoring Volunteer Did you find the northern Pacific tree frog ? They are hard to spot when they aren't on the move, since they're perfectly adapted to blend into their (and our) PNW environment. This frog species can even morph to change color to match their environment depending on the season. Hello, little buddy! Photo: Diana Koch/Woodland Park Zoo Amphibian Monitoring Volunteer The presence of amphibians—such as frogs, toads, salamanders and newts—is an indication of a healthy ecosystem. They are...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications This summer we asked artists of all ages to put their most creative coloring skills to the test with a MyZoo baby tapir coloring contest. With nearly 100 entries, it was reaallllly hard to choose since every single entry was exploding with love for the #SeattleWatermelon and mom, Ulan. However, your Woodland Park Zoo staff have decided and here are the grand prize winners as well as honorable mentions... Grand Prize (Ages 2-6): Troy, age 5 Complete with a rainbow and excellent color choices as well as attention to detail, Troy you captured Sempurna's summertime vibes perfectly! Honorable mention for ages 2-6: Sophie, age 5 Claire, age 6 Vanessa, age 3 Grand Prize (Ages 7-12): Zoe, age 12 We loved the way Zoe treated the lush green background and her detailing in Ulan's eyes is so clever, congrats Zoe! Honorable mention for ages 7-12: Talia, age 7 The little feet! Avery, age 12 Those watermelon colors! Elsa, age 8 "I love you mom,...

Posted by Ryan Driscoll, Lead Learning Facilitator, Woodland Park Zoo Are you passionate about conservation? Do you want to learn more about environmental issues and take action? Are you looking for ways to engage with your community about subjects that matter? You should consider the Advanced Inquiry Program at Woodland Park Zoo. Miami University's Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) is an exciting web-based master’s degree program that includes experiential learning and field study offered at Woodland Park Zoo. As an advisor and facilitator of the program, I often get asked who this program is for and what types of projects students do. As we start recruitment for the 2021 cohort, I couldn’t think of a better way to highlight the diverse array of professions, interests, and projects that this program supports than to let some of our current students share some of their experiences. I hope you leave as inspired as I always am when working with students in this program! If you...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos and video by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Kitoko, seen here with mom Uzumma, is 6 months old now.  It’s time for an update on our wonderful western lowland gorilla family, with the latest scoop from dedicated gorilla keepers, Stephanie and Judy! We wanted to start with the newest family member, little Kitoko. The 6-month-old baby boy—born to Uzumma and Kwame on March 4—is doing great and keeping his mama on her toes. You may recall that he was injured in a family scuffle several months ago, but he has recovered from that and continues to be right on track with physical and developmental milestones. 6-month-old Kitoko is bright-eyed and curious. He can often be seen reaching for and grasping everything he can get his hands on, including pieces of solid food that Uzumma may have dropped.  Bright-eyed and curious about everything around him, our awesome gorilla keepers tell us Kitoko seems to already recognize his name—lo...