Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s population of two male greater one-horned rhinos will soon change. Taj is scheduled to move in a couple of weeks to El Paso Zoo in El Paso, Texas.  Taj tasting a leafy offering in 2018. The rhinos were born a day apart from each other and turned 7 in November. Taj currently weighs a whopping 4,670 pounds and Glenn 4,135 pounds.  Taj and Glenn represent the only rhinos who have lived at Woodland Park Zoo in its nearly 125-year history. The boys arrived at the zoo at 18 months old and made their public debut in 2018 in the new Assam Rhino Reserve. They immediately became popular to visitors, marking the first time for many to encounter rhinos in person.  Zoo members, visitors, and social media fans have watched Taj and Glenn grow and thrive together, learned about these iconic symbols of wildlife trafficking, and witnessed natural rhino behavior such as the pair wallowing in mud baths, p...

Posted by Hattie Potter, Development Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo This week is Orangutan Caring Week, a fantastic time to highlight the orangutans living at our zoo! This week serves as a poignant reminder of how critical it is to safeguard these majestic creatures and their rapidly diminishing forest habitats. Thank you to our wonderful staff on the orangutan animal care team for helping us get to know these incredible primates and for caring for them every single day.  As part of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan (Orangutan SSP), Woodland Park Zoo staff work closely with other conservation zoos around the country to develop goals towards orangutan research, education, advocacy, conservation and animal husbandry. Together with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Orangutan SSP serves the accredited zoos that house orangutans. Working closely with respected professionals in the field, the SSP provides help and guidance to zoos housing orangutans. Toget...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Rhinoceros ratsnake by Cezary Borysiuk  via Flickr. New species of snakes, lizards, amphibians and other reptiles will make Woodland Park Zoo their new home in fall 2024. The zoo’s Adaptations Building is currently closed until a major refresh is made to bring in and share these new animals with zoo guests. The Adaptations Building will be transformed into a new Indo-Pacific Islands forest and will showcase endangered and threatened species that range from the forest floors to the verdant treetops of Southeast Asia and Oceania. In addition, the new gallery of exhibits will offer a more complete story about the biodiversity in Southeast Asia’s and Oceania’s tropical conservation hotspots. The exhibit will feature a diversity of species including Asian box turtle and rhinoceros ratsnake. The new reptile and amphibian exhibit will take visitors through the diverse habitats of Southeast Asia and...

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Hello Finni! Photo by Craig Newberry/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo is excited to announce the names of our newest endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo joeys! The female joey is named Finni, and the male will be known as Soya—both were named by good friends of the zoo, Patti Savoy, and Linda and Harmut Peters.    Soya, photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The name Finni was inspired by the Finisterre Mountain range in the YUS Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea. Soya was named to honor a ranger who passed away this year and worked with the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program. Female tree kangaroos Elanna, 15, and Omari, 14, gave birth to the joeys in August 2022—the zoo’s male tree kangaroo Rocket, 9, fathered both. Finni, photo by Craig Newberry/Woodland Park Zoo The personalities of the joeys are beginning to shine through, and both are very unique! Soya, born to Omari, is cautious but curious. He likes to hang out c...

Posted by Kayla Hanada, Animal Keeper with Elizabeth Bacher, Communications The Socorro dove is extinct in the wild. Photo: Annie Kwan/Woodland Park Zoo Hello! My name is Kayla and I am an animal keeper at Woodland Park Zoo working primarily in our bird areas. If you’ve visited recently and walked through the dome in the Tropical Rainforest building, you’ve likely seen (or heard) two of our newest residents—Socorro doves! These special birds—named Bill and Ted—came to us from the San Diego Zoo a few months ago and they have quite the personalities. They’ve warmed up to their new home fairly quickly and I often hear them cooing in the trees. I’ve even seen them landing on the railings of the dome’s elevated walkway, not too far away from guests. These are both behaviors that show us they’re feeling comfortable here. The best time for you to spot them might be when we change their food bowls out, which is first thing in the morning right around the time we open at 9:30 and again later in...