Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Hello, Binti! There’s a new tapir in town at Woodland Park Zoo! Meet Binti, a female Malayan tapir. Binti, which means “daughter of” in Malay, will celebrate her 2nd birthday in July. Binti arrived from Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas under the Malayan Tapir Species Survival Plan and will be paired with a male tapir scheduled to arrive in July. Species Survival Plans are cooperative breeding programs across accredited zoos to help ensure healthy, genetically diverse populations of select species or subspecies. “We’re getting to know Binti and she’s getting to know her care team. She’s curious and very friendly as she gets to know you. She likes her snacks, particularly willow browse, and being scratched,” said Erin Sullivan, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “During food preparation, she squeals and whistles loudly to let us know she’s ready for her breakfast. We are very happy she is here!”...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Gray wolf, Shila, was a treasure and we will deeply miss her. Woodland Park Zoo is deeply saddened by the loss of its sole gray wolf, Shila (SHY-lah), who has passed away. Animal keepers found the 14-year-old, female wolf deceased this morning in her habitat. In human care, the median life expectancy for gray wolves is 11 to 12 years old. At 14, Shila was a geriatric wolf. As a standard procedure, the zoo’s animal health team will perform a postmortem exam to further diagnose factors that may have contributed to Shila’s death. Shila was born in April 2010 at New York State Zoo at Thompson Park and moved to Woodland Park Zoo in the fall that year with her three sisters who have all since passed away. Woodland Park Zoo made groundbreaking medical headway for wolves when in June this year its veterinary team partnered with an external veterinary cardiologist to implant a pacemaker in Shila to treat a ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Ulan, with her calf Sempurna, in 2020. At the end of the month, Woodland Park Zoo will say goodbye to its last remaining Malayan tapir, Ulan. The 12-year-old female will head to Fresno Chaffee Zoo, an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accredited zoo in Fresno, California. The last day to show Ulan some love will be August 27 in the Trail of Vines habitat. Tapirs are among the most primitive large mammals in the world, changing little in appearance for millions of years. These prehistoric-looking animals are long and similar to the weight of a light horse. They have a short, prehensile nose which they use to pluck leaves and fruit. Tapirs are excellent swimmers and use their snouts as snorkels! Because they have an odd number of toes (four toes on each front foot, three on each back foot), their closest relatives are horses and rhinos. Ulan and her daughter, Sempurna, sit side by side in 2020. Ulan arrived at Wo...

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 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 Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s population of two male greater one-horned rhinos will soon change. Taj is scheduled to move in a couple of weeks to El Paso Zoo in El Paso, Texas.  Taj tasting a leafy offering in 2018. The rhinos were born a day apart from each other and turned 7 in November. Taj currently weighs a whopping 4,670 pounds and Glenn 4,135 pounds.  Taj and Glenn represent the only rhinos who have lived at Woodland Park Zoo in its nearly 125-year history. The boys arrived at the zoo at 18 months old and made their public debut in 2018 in the new Assam Rhino Reserve. They immediately became popular to visitors, marking the first time for many to encounter rhinos in person.  Zoo members, visitors, and social media fans have watched Taj and Glenn grow and thrive together, learned about these iconic symbols of wildlife trafficking, and witnessed natural rhino behavior such as the pair wallowing in mud baths, p...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Woodland Park Zoo had to make the difficult decision this week of euthanizing its only male Malayan tapir, Bintang, due to age-related decline. Male tapirs have a life expectancy of 19 years in zoos. At 23 years old, Bintang was geriatric.  Bintang in 2016, Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Bintang in 2014, Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo According to Dr. Misty Garcia, associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo, Bintang had been under treatment for decreased mobility due to age-related arthritis since 2016. “Bintang was on a prescribed program of treatments which included laser therapy, massage therapy, pain medications and joint supplements. Over the last three months, the geriatric tapir experienced an overall decline in condition including decreased mobility and significant weight loss,” said Garcia. “The zoo’s animal care team had been monitoring him closely with daily observations of his health and quality of life. We had to m...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren and Dennis Dow Woodland Park Zoo Kaya on Living Northwest Trail in 2023 Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of a female gray wolf named Kaya (KAI-yuh). The 13-year-old passed away while under anesthesia for a diagnostic procedure at the zoo’s veterinary hospital. In human care, the median life expectancy is 11–12 years old. At 13 years old, Kaya was a geriatric wolf. Woodland Park Zoo has been home to gray wolves for more than 70 years. Kaya arrived at the zoo in 2010 along with three of her sisters, all 1 year old at the time. Only one wolf, Shila (SHY-lah), a sister of Kaya, remains at the zoo; two of their sisters passed away over the last couple of years. Shila lives in the Living Northwest Trail, which is also home to the new Canada lynx, brown bears, snowy owls, elk, river otters, western pond turtles and more wildlife native to the Pacific Northwest. “For more than seven decades, gray wolves have always ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photo and video by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Brown bear cub, Juniper, and grizzly bear cub, Fern, are exploring their outdoor habitat together, and it’s double trouble, double adorable! Juniper’s presence has helped Fern acclimate to her new home much faster than usual. “Fern is responding to behavioral training and is making herself at home. Having Juniper here has truly helped,” said Erin Sullivan, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “The cubs are fast becoming best buds and Juniper has taken Fern under her wing. Zoo-goers are going to really enjoy watching the cubs grow, play and get into mischief together.” The naturalistic setting for the brown bears in the Living Northwest Trail offers a wealth of enrichment including a braided, flowing stream; a bear-sized swimming pool with live fish; exhibit “furniture” such as rocks for basking in the sun; tree stumps that make great scratching posts; browse and novel scents; and a q...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications with Erin Sullivan, Entomologist Does it get any cuter than a fuzzy, gentle mason bee? Photo by nutmeg66 via Flickr. To celebrate Pollinator Week 2019 (June 17-23), we asked you to send us the questions you've always wanted to know about bees. Below are just some of the bee questions we have received from across our social media platforms. Our in- house hive bee expert, Erin Sullivan, entomologist and collection manager, gives us the answers we've been searching for—when it comes to our buzziest pollinators. Q: What is the best type of hive box design for honeybees and bumblebees? Erin: When it comes to creating a good habitat for bees in your backyard, the most important thing to begin with is looking at what's already in your garden. That means paying attention to the types of bees that frequent your yard. The bee hive or box is just the beginning. Creating a suitable habitat for bees means looking at basics, such as fo...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications That's a face we will never forget. Rest easy, Junior, thank you for letting us love you and inspiring millions to save jaguar habitat. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Jaguar Cove won't be the same without the presence of our favorite male jaguar, Junior. The geriatric cat had been off view, living behind the scenes where keepers could keep a close watch on him (spoil him) since late in 2017. Junior was humanely euthanized on May 31 due to a major decline in health and quality of life. Junior was 20 years old.  The life expectancy of jaguars in zoos is 18 years. The big cats live longer in zoos than in their natural range because of the evolving field of zoo medicine, including improved husbandry and management techniques, excellent animal care, better nutrition, increased medical knowledge, and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.  Sweet cat naps on his favorite hot rock made Junior a happy boy. Photo by R...