Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Bruce W. Bohmke, Acting President and CEO We’re asking for your thoughts about the zoo’s next major exhibit project. Will you take a few minutes to complete our survey? Woodland Park Zoo is redeveloping a 3.4-acre area of its Tropical Asia zone formerly occupied by the Elephant Forest exhibit. This large space allows us to explore exhibit ideas that could include a diverse range of Asian wildlife species. Your input will help guide the process as we identify new conservation ambassador species for the zoo and dynamic experiences that will connect you with these animals and the threats they face in the wild. As stewards of the zoo, we’re working hard to fulfill the zoo’s Long Range Physical Development Plan and renovate and update older areas of the zoo for you and our community at large. Last year, we opened Banyan Wilds with new exhibits for Malayan tigers and sloth bears. This year, we’re bringing back butterflies in a new exhibit near Zoomazium. We’re also...

Posted by: Bruce W. Bohmke, Acting President and CEO November marks a yearly turning point as fall unleashes its contribution to the cycle of life, and along with it the certainty of change. As we prepare to close out the year and begin anew, I can tell you that we are thriving in the midst of change. Since becoming acting president and CEO in June, I have been impressed by the resolve of our staff and board to continue dreaming big. My focus is to ensure continuity in the delivery of our mission while also evolving the zoo of the future, as guided by six goals in our strategic plan and our Long-Range Physical Development plan. A Board Search Committee, aided by the executive search firm Spencer Stuart, is scouring the nation for the best, next zoo leader. I’m confident that excellent candidates will find irresistible our large and loyal membership, educational and conservation impact, and reputation as a standard setter in naturalistic exhibit design and animal care. We antic...

Plus our heartfelt thanks to Deborah Jensen for 13 years of service! Posted by: Bruce Bohmke, Acting President and CEO Bruce Bohmke. Dear Friends, As zoo members, supporters and partners, you are an integral force in the success of our mission. You also have a vested interest in the future of your zoo. So, on behalf of all the zoo staff and board of directors, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Woodland Park Zoo’s new Strategic Plan 2015-2018: Growing our Reach and Impact. You’ll be proud to know that Woodland Park Zoo is already recognized as a standard-setter among top zoos and aquariums in the U.S. With this plan as our compass, we will evolve to meet our community’s current and future needs, while further shaping and modeling the purpose of zoo-based conservation organizations in the 21st century. Because a significant rise in population is anticipated for the Puget Sound region, we must dramatically increase our reach and impact to serve a growing community. But ...