Woodland Park Zoo Blog

 Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications For three years, female African lion Kamaria has delighted guests alongside her twin sister Ilanga here at Woodland Park Zoo, but now it’s time for the 5-year-old lioness to set forth on a new international journey and possibly start a family of her own. Zoo guests are invited to come bid Kamaria adieu before she departs to Zoo de Granby in Quebec. The last day to see Kamaria is October 17. African lion Kamaria, on left, expresses a moment of tenderness with her twin sister, Ilanga, with Xerxes in the background at Woodland Park Zoo. Kamaria will move to Zoo de Granby in Quebec to be paired with a new mate. Oct. 17 is the last day to see Kamaria. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo) Kamaria and Ilanga arrived at Woodland Park Zoo in 2019 under a breeding recommendation with male lion Xerxes. Breeding was never successful due to changing dynamics in the group as the sisters matured, and sadly the geriatric Xerxes was humanely eutha...

Posted by: Fred W. Koontz, PhD, Vice President of Field Conservation Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo except where noted Taman Negara National Park. Each year, I travel to Malaysia to meet with colleagues working on Malayan tiger conservation. These trips are essential for good partner communications and ensuring the zoo’s field support is effectively placed. But my most recent visit in June was something quite different. This time, I traveled to Malaysia with 13 of the nation's top tiger zookeepers in tow, including those from National Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, San Francisco Zoo and Zoo Miami, to name just a few. The group included Woodland Park Zoo tiger keeper, Christine Anne, who had been eagerly  preparing for this trip for what seemed like a long time. Christine knew this was an opportunity to see tiger habitat, learn about threats to their survival, discuss conservation solutions with tiger experts and meet local people sharing land with big cats. Equ...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Christine Anne is the Lead Keeper at Woodland Park Zoo’s East Team carnivore unit. Christine has been at Woodland Park Zoo for just two years, but she has been a keeper for over 13 years. Prior to working in Seattle she worked at San Diego Zoo Safari Park as the head lion keeper, as a bear manager at a brown bear rescue center in Sitka, Alaska, and as Assistant Supervisor of Carnivores at Wildlife Safari Park in Winston, Oregon. Her expertise in working with big cats is instrumental to the zoo, especially with three young, energetic new residents—the tiger brothers of Banyan Wilds . So, what is it really like to work with Liem, Eko and Olan? Christine treats a tiger to a spray of milk, a reward for working with keepers to practice health checks. By asking the tigers to stand up, keepers can  easily check their paws, belly and mouth. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. We asked Christine to give us the inside scoop on the tig...