Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Yola is a young adult now. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Editor’s note: Big thanks to gorilla keepers Judy Sievert, Kate Gordon, Stephanie Payne and Tesh Hunter for contributing so much to this update! The warmer temperatures of spring mean more play time for the youngest members of Kwame’s western lowland gorilla family—two of whom recently celebrated birthdays. Zuna (daughter of Nadiri and Kwame) is now 4 years old, and big brother Kitoko (son of Uzumma and Kwame) just turned 5. These siblings are still enthusiastic playmates but their “growing up gorilla” experiences are shaping their budding personalities in very different ways! Zuna is a very independent and clever girl! She is everyone’s sweetheart (both among the gorillas and the gorilla keepers), gets along with all members of her family and is quite socially savvy. She is confident enough to spend time by herself and sometimes in the company of her “bestie” (a piece ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s sloth bear cub, a 3-month-old girl named Bowie, will meet the public this weekend. Bowie, who shares the same birthday, January 8, as icon David Bowie, will be introduced to the outdoor habitat with her mom, Kushali. Outdoor time will be weather-dependent. Since she was born, Bowie has been living with mom in a maternity den away from visitors. Here in a private setting, she has been thriving and learning critical bear skills from mom. Kushali and Bowie will be given the choice to go outdoors, so visibility to zoo guests will be intermittent initially, explained Martin Ramirez, a mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “We want to give mom the opportunity to determine how much time Bowie spends exploring the outdoor habitat and when it’s time for a nap,” said Ramirez. “We know everyone’s excited to meet our new cub in person—bear cubs are irresistible and playful. However, we’ll a...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Editor's note: Special thanks to gorilla keepers Kate Gordon and Stephanie Payne. It is because of their hard work and close, trusting relationships with the gorillas that we can share stories like this with you. The relationships that our animal keepers have developed with gorillas, like Olympia and Nadaya seen here, have allowed our care team to more closely monitor their heart health. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Heart health is important for us all, especially as we age. This is also true for gorillas and other apes living in human care. They are susceptible to health problems related to cardiovascular disease—also known as CVD or more simply “heart disease”—just as we are. Formally established in 2010, the Great Ape Heart Project (GAHP) addresses the critical need to track and understand heart disease in great apes—including gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and bonobos that live in human care. Just like in humans, c...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications The snuggle is real! Mom Kushali cuddles with sloth bear cub, Bowie, in a quiet off-view maternity den. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo As winter hangs on and people still immerse in hygge, a mama sloth bear is denning up with her new cub, a girl! The cub was born in January to mom Kushali and dad Bhutan. The gestation period for sloth bears is about six months. The zoo’s sloth bear team has named the cub Bowie as a tribute to the late David Bowie whose birthday is January 8, the same day the cub was born. The last birth of sloth bears at the zoo was in 2022 when Kushali gave birth to her first offspring—a son and daughter who continue to thrive at new homes. Woodland Park Zoo Animal Curator Martin Ramirez explained that Bowie is nursing regularly, she’s very vocal and she has a full, rounded tummy, all positive signs she’s healthy. Kushali and Bowie are currently living in an off-view maternity den for a more quiet, comfortable environment to encourage...

Posted by Joanna Klass, Woodland Park Zoo Animal Care Manager Editor's Note: In addition to being an Animal Care Manager at Woodland Park Zoo, Joanna serves as Vice Chair for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Anseriformes Taxon Advisory Group. She also volunteers with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which heads up the research project she writes about here. Emperor geese at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo If anyone saw me walking through the airport last June, they would’ve thought ‘TSA is going to love her!’. The item in question was a portable incubator, which on the outside looks like a hard, black briefcase with wires and a temperature readout on the front. In other words, not your typical roller-bag luggage. So, why was I taking this unusual item through the TSA gauntlet? It had a very important place to be—the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in southwestern Alaska. I was invited by Tasha DiMarzio, a waterfowl biologist for the Alaska D...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto/Communications with Animal Keeper Maddie Weholt Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Happy 3rd birthday to Juniper and Fern! Since their arrival at Woodland Park Zoo in 2022, rescued brown bears Juniper and Fern have snuggled into just about every heart in the Puget Sound. They are now snuggled up in their very own den—dreaming of spring! The brown bears during a lazy wrestle sesh on a den-break in January 2025. Both cubs were rescued from their native habitats. Juniper is a coastal brown bear from Anchorage, Alaska; Fern is a grizzly bear from Montana. They were too young to survive on their own. It is estimated the cubs were each born in January 2022. An image from the den cam shows Fern and Juniper snug as can be! January 2025 Fern and Juniper bonded quickly after being introduced on Woodland Park Zoo's Living Northwest Trail in November 2022 and the rest is history. We can't believe these love muffins are turning three! While we don'...