Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Farrah Paul, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of one of its river otter pups, who passed this morning in a tragic accident. Two otter pups, a male and a female, were born in late March to mom Valkyrie and dad Ziggy. The young male otter had recently been named Trout and his sister was named Dory and received their names from longtime friends and supporters of the zoo. As the pups recently learned to swim, they have access to both their publicly-visible habitat and pool, and an indoor holding area that is equipped with ramps and enrichment. This morning, June 22, the male otter pup was climbing a ramp and became wedged between the ramp and a platform. Animal keepers responded in under five minutes and attempted to resuscitate the otter, with the help of Animal Health, but he could not be revived. “Our animal keeper team and staff are absolutely devastated. The passing of a beloved animal is never easy, but a loss like thi...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Akenji's pregnancy is at full term and she could give birth at any time now! Last month, we shared with you Akenji's ultrasound images and a Q & A with fascinating details about her pregnancy and expected delivery. This week, the birth watch has officially started for her! A birth watch for great apes typically begins a week before the birth window opens and can span two to three weeks. The gestation period for gorillas is about nine months. The birth watch means Akenji is now under 24-hour monitoring. Overnight, zoo volunteers observe Akenji remotely on cams installed in her bedroom, collect data such as behavioral changes and sleeping pattern and look for any telltale signs that might indicate the onset of labor. A gorilla keeper is on call to respond in case Akenji goes into labor in the middle of the night; during the day, routine care for all the zoo’s gorillas continues with an ex...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Beautiful Batu is expecting a baby —the first orangutan pregnancy at Woodland Park Zoo in 35 years! For the first time in 35 years at Woodland Park Zoo, an orangutan is pregnant. The expectant mom is 14-year-old Batu and the father is 15-year-old Godek; both are Sumatran orangutans. Batu is due to give birth this summer in late August/early September and this will be the first offspring for both orangutans. The gestation period for orangutans is about nine months. Batu, which means “rock” in Malay, arrived in 2021 from Philadelphia Zoo; Godek, whose name means “sideburns” in Indonesian, arrived in 2017 from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs, CO). The Sumatran orangutans were paired under a breeding recommendation by the Orangutan Species Survival Plan and have been companions in the zoo’s Trail of Vines. Species Survival Plans are cooperative breeding programs across accredited zoos to help ...

Posted by Farrah Paul, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo 14-year-old Shila was diagnosed with a  life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia. Woodland Park Zoo’s 14-year-old female gray wolf, Shila, has received a pacemaker in an innovative and groundbreaking medical procedure to treat a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia. The successful procedure took place June 12, and Shila is recovering well behind the scenes. While pacemakers are common treatments for humans and domestic dogs, a wolf receiving a pacemaker is extraordinarily rare. Woodland Park Zoo’s team is not aware of any previous cases and believes Shila’s pacemaker may be among the first for her species. Shila's procedure to insert this pacemaker may be among the first for her species. Background In early June, animal keepers observed concerning behavior from Shila including decreased activity and appetite, weight loss, and concerning instances of stumbling, weakness, incoordination and falling. Th...

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is seeing spots after three snow leopard cubs were born on Memorial Day, May 27, 2024. These are the first snow leopard cubs to be born at the zoo since a single cub, Aibek, was born in 2017.  Marai with her newborn cubs on the cub cam, Woodland Park Zoo The cubs were born to parents Marai, 7, and Aibek, 6. This is their first litter of cubs after they were paired under the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan , a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. The mom and cubs are currently in an off-view maternity den to allow bonding and proper nursing in a quieter setting. Zoo staff closely watch the mother and cub on a den camera to watch for normal behaviors. It will be at least a couple months before the cubs are introduced to the outdoor, on-view exhibit. “As a first-time mom, Marai has amazed us with the level of care she's been giving her cub...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s two river otter pups, a male and female, have aced their swimming lessons and have graduated to the outdoor pool and habitat. Guests will have the opportunity to watch the yet-to-be named pups twirling, rolling, somersaulting, dog paddling and just being otterly fun! While otters are highly skilled swimmers, moms need to teach their pups how to swim, just like humans do! For the last couple of weeks, mama Valkyrie has been giving her 2-month-old pups swimming lessons in a kiddie pool located in the off-view den. What do lessons entail for otters? Valkyrie picks up each pup by the scruff of their neck and dunks them in and out, much like dunking donuts in milk, but here it’s dunkin’ otters! In the outdoor pool, visitors may see Valkyrie still teaching the pups as she immerses them under water and brings them up for air. But please be patient. For the next several weeks, a regula...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Today, June 5, is World Environment Day #GenerationRestoration. As we build a better future for wildlife and people, Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, are excited to announce a new partnership with Bold Reuse that will launch a new reusable cup program as another sustainable step closer to ending single use items at the zoo. Woodland Park Zoo and its hospitality partner, Levy, launch a new reusable cup program in a new partnership with Bold Reuse. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo) What can zoo visitors expect? It’s simple! All hot and cold beverages purchased at the zoo are now served in reusable cups. After visitors finish sipping a hot or cold beverage, they’ll toss their reusable cups in the new bins where Bold Reuse will sort and sanitize the reusable cups to reduce single-use plastics! In 2018, Woodland Park Zoo eliminated the sale of single-use plastics for all beverages including water, juice and soda. All the zo...