Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Hattie Potter, Development Editor's Note: Thank you to animal keepers Erin and Kayla for answering our questions and helping us get to know Woodland Park Zoo's toucans. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo How much do you know about toucans other than they have big beaks and are often "associated" with a fruity, sugary cereal? These beautiful and colorful birds are native to the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. They spend most of their lives high up in the trees where they nest in tree cavities and find many of their food sources. Woodland Park Zoo's toco toucans—one of the larger of the many species of this bird—can be found in our Tropical Rain Forest exhibit and their long, vibrant bills make them almost impossible to miss! Let's get to know more, with the help of animal keepers Erin and Kayla:   What are the names and ages of our toucans? There are currently two toucans living at the zoo – one male and a female. Our m...

 Post by Gigi Allianic, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is overjoyed to share the heartwarming news about baby boy gorilla Abeo (ah-BAY-oh), who was born at the zoo in June. To ensure his long-term benefits of growing as a gorilla, the zoo made a critical decision and moved him last month to Louisville Zoo in Kentucky where he could be socialized with a foster gorilla mom and multigenerational family of gorillas. Abeo with Kewli, Photo by Kyle Shepherd/Louisville Zoo Today, Abeo and his foster mom, Kweli (kway-lee), made their public debut together in Louisville Zoo’s award-winning Gorilla Forest. Kweli, 40 years old, was selected due to her successful experience fostering Kindi, Louisville Zoo’s now 8-year-old female gorilla, who was orphaned shortly after birth. Abeo was born June 28 at Woodland Park Zoo to Akenji, a first-time mom, and dad Kwame. Because Akenji hadn’t shown any interest in caring for her newborn, Abeo was placed under round-the-clock care; moreover, progress w...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Pudu Maggie with the fawn she had in 2022 Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of its female pudu, Maggie. The 7-year-old animal passed away while recovering from anesthesia following a routine tooth extraction at the zoo’s veterinary hospital. Pudu are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America. The small deer stands only 14 to 18 inches high at the shoulder and weighs between 14 and 30 pounds. The median life expectancy for pudus in zoos is 8 years old; pudus can live 8 to 10 years old in the wild. Maggie was barely bigger than a pumpkin. Adult pudu are only 12" - 18" high at the shoulder and weigh between 14 - 30lbs. “The tooth was extracted without complications and Maggie did well under anesthesia. She was being closely monitored as she began to recover,” said Dr. Yousuf Jafarey, an associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo. “As her recovery progressed,...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications For more than 50 years, hippos have been a popular pachyderm and one of the most adored animals at Woodland Park Zoo. For the long-term benefits and well-being of its only hippo, female Lupe, the zoo will bid farewell and move her to a new home where she can thrive in the company of other hippos.  Lupe in the pool. Photo by Brit Powers/Woodland Park Zoo Lupe, 24, currently lives in the hippo habitat in the African Savanna. Tuesday, September 24, will be the last day to see and wish her well on her new adventure. Guadalupe, fondly called Lupe by her friends and fans, was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and moved to Woodland Park Zoo in 2003. Lupe became Woodland Park Zoo’s last remaining hippo when its beloved geriatric hippo Lily was humanely euthanized in April due to declining health and quality of life following a cancer diagnosis. The zoo has been working with the Hippo Species Survival Plan to identify a new home. She will be moved to ...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Hi Juniper! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Editor’s note: Big thanks to animal keeper Maddie Weholt for all the great info! Whether it’s for animals or for people, a regular visit to the doctor’s office is part of a good healthcare and wellness routine. But what about when it’s for a 400-pound-and-still-growing young brown bear? This July, our animal care team performed a complete routine physical on the well-known and well-loved 2-½-year-old female—and she passed her exam with flying colors! But what does a doctor’s appointment look like for a big bear like Juniper? Let us take a behind-the-scenes peek at all the ins, outs and in-betweens of Juniper’s day at the “doctor’s office.” Aside from medical care for illness or injury, all our animals get routine health and wellness checkups—but how often that happens depends on the species and what our veterinary staff recommends to best meet their needs. In the case of our brown bear...

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Ahhhh ... a fresh and delicious cup of conservation coffee! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo You can sip a world of good with this conservation coffee! Beginning tomorrow, September 6, a limited offering of Tree Kangaroo Conservation Coffee is available for purchase at Woodland Park Zoo and Caffe Vita! The delicious brew is a collaboration between Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) and Caffe Vita. Sourced directly from farmers in Papua New Guinea (PNG), these 100% Arabica varietal beans, roasted by Caffe Vita, are grown under the shade of tree canopy in village gardens across 400,000 acres of protected forest in the YUS Conservation Area, named for the Yopno, Uruwa and Som rivers that flow through it. This special coffee from PNG helps protect endangered Matschie's tree kangaroos and the forests they live in. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo “This coffee is fully traceable; we know the f...