Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Video and photo by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Nadiri and her baby are getting to know each other and learning new things about each other day by day.  Here is video of our girl exploring new tactile sensations and trying out a few luscious leaves. Keeper Traci Colwell gives us a quick update on the newborn’s progress. Video of the baby gorilla exploring new tactile sensations andtasting a tiny leaf.  The baby gorilla receives attentive care by keeper and veterinary staff in a den behind the scenes of the gorilla exhibit, where Nadiri can see her baby and her baby can see her mom throughout the day, every day. “For the long-term benefits and welfare of the baby gorilla, it’s important for her to know she’s a gorilla, not a human. She never leaves the gorilla den. Here, she is exposed to her mom and can also see, hear and smell the zoo’s other gorillas,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “It’s also a st

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications All photos courtesy of Hutan Woodland Park Zoo, along with Oregon Zoo and Houston Zoo, announced today a new agreement with Borneo-based wildlife organizations to protect the endangered Borneo pygmy elephant. The new partnership between Hutan and the Borneo Elephant Zoo Alliance is the first of its kind to focus on the little-known Asian elephant subspecies. Hutan’s primary area of focus is the Lower Kinabatangan flood plain in eastern Sabah, a state on the Malaysian island of Borneo. The initiative will combat the frequent and sometimes deadly conflicts between people and elephants. Only an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Borneo elephants remain in the wild on the island of Borneo. While Borneo elephants are fully protected under the 1997 Sabah Wildlife Enactment, their survival is threatened due to deforestation—largely driven by logging and palm oil production. Oil palm plantations are often adjacent to wildlife habitat. This inevitabl

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications A new exhibit for North American butterflies and a stage for up-close experiences with animals such as skunks and pot-bellied pigs are among the new features coming to Woodland Park Zoo in 2016. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. The butterflies and new ambassador animals will highlight a previously underused area of the zoo near the popular Zoomazium. The new outdoor stage is expected to be a real highlight for zoo guests who want to get up close and personal with these animals. In addition—to mark its 10th anniversary—Zoomazium will see a refreshment of its programming and technology. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Right next door will be the new Butterfly Garden, a completely new exhibit to replace one closed during the 2009 recession. Zoo guests will enter a covered area, stroll among free-flying butterflies, and explore the various habitats of North American butterfly species while learning about the biology, behavior

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo At almost a month old! Introductions between first-time mother Nadiri and her new baby are moving along at a slow pace, but a step in the right direction is good news, no matter how tiny those steps may be. The baby western lowland gorilla , a female, was born November 20 to 19-year-old Nadiri. After giving birth naturally, Nadiri did not pick up her baby. Staff immediately stepped in for the safety and welfare of the baby and to allow the new mom to rest. Because Nadiri does not have experience with motherhood, the zoo prepared for different outcomes while Nadiri was pregnant, including human intervention. Zoo gorilla and veterinary staff are providing 24/7 care for the baby gorilla behind the scenes in the gorillas’ sleeping quarters in a den next to Nadiri. The mom and the other two members in her group can see the baby, and the baby is immersed in the sights, s

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo We have a little update on our gorilla Nadiri and her newborn baby. Attempts to introduce the first-time mother gorilla to her new baby continue every day. For now, the plan for the next three months will be to keep on providing hands-on care for the female gorilla infant before evaluating next steps. The baby western lowland gorilla was born November 20 to 19-year-old Nadiri. After giving birth naturally, Nadiri did not pick up her baby and, instead, walked away. Staff immediately stepped in for the safety and welfare of the baby and to allow the new mom to rest. Because Nadiri does not have experience with motherhood, the zoo prepared for different eventualities while Nadiri was pregnant, including human intervention. Zoo gorilla and veterinary staff are providing 24/7 care for the baby gorilla behind the scenes in the gorillas’ sleeping quarters in a den next to Nadi

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications The porcupine made a clear choice for her pick to win! Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. With the Apple Cup upon us, we asked apple-loving porcupine Skyáana to try her hand at predicting the winner of the big game. Faced with a choice of apples overflowing from a Husky and a Cougar snack helmet, the 1.5-year-old prickly predictor picked the WSU Cougars for the win! Video: Porcupine makes 2015 Apple Cup prediction. Here’s the play-by-play: The keeper calls the audible. Skyáana makes a rush down the field. She drops out of the pocket and runs a naked bootleg! She’s down to the 40, the 30, the 20, across the 10 yard line, into the Cougars end zone! Touchdown, Cougars!!!! Are you kidding me??!! Holy apples , I don’t believe it!! Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. As she went for a second apple from the Cougars helmet, Skyáana made it perfectly clear that she is confident in her choice. But here's the deal: thi

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Baby girl, cozy and in the care of her attentive keepers. As you may have heard, a female baby gorilla was born on Friday, November 20, to first time mom, Nadiri. First, let us thank you all for your congratulatory notes and kind words for keepers and staff. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support for this special new girl who has stolen our hearts. The baby is thriving. Under special care of keepers and veterinary staff, the western lowland gorilla is receiving round-the-clock care and is currently off public view. She is being bottle-fed human infant formula. Just so sleepy after her birth journey. Although Nadiri gave birth naturally , without intervention by staff, she did not show appropriate maternal behaviors. After giving birth, she walked away to the other side of the den and staff had to step in for the safety and welfare of the baby and to let the new mom rest. Because Nadiri was partially hand-raised and do

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications An image taken from a closed circuit keeper camera showing Nadiri during labor in her den this morning. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. Curator Martin Ramirez monitors Nadiri via closed circuit camera during labor. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. After a night of restless tossing and turning, we knew pregnant gorilla Nadiri was close. Then the contractions started around 8:00 a.m. today and just about 4 hours later at 11:30 a.m. it finally happened—Nadiri brought her first offspring into the world. Within moments of giving birth, Nadiri moved a few feet away from the baby and walked to the other side of her den. Keepers watching closely could see the infant was moving, though still wrapped in the amniotic sac. We made the call for the safety of the baby: it was time to intervene. Curator Martin Ramirez explained that while we hoped Nadiri would immediately hold and care for her baby, we stepped in for the safety of the

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor with Gigi Allianic, Communications A wolverine is caught on camera as it approaches a noninvasive hair snare designed to snag a hair that can be used for DNA testing. Photo: Robert Long/Woodland Park Zoo. To study elusive wolverines in the wild, you need to know where they occur. To figure out where they occur, you need wolverines to trigger remote research cameras. To get wolverines to trigger the cameras, you need to attract them with a strong scent, which naturally fades after two to four weeks. To keep that scent refreshed after it fades, you need to hike into backcountry terrain with deep snow and dangerous avalanche conditions in the winter— and that’s where it gets tricky . Senior conservation fellow Robert Long installs a new device that could revolutionize his wolverine research in the Northwest. Photo: Roger Christophersen. Extreme winter conditions can make the small but critical task of refreshing scent lures or baits difficu

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Watch: Chris Pratt and Anna Faris name Woodland Park Zoo baby penguin.  Actors Anna Faris and Chris Pratt and their son Jack were invited to name Woodland Park Zoo’s 50th Humboldt penguin chick . Pratt and Faris grew up in the Seattle area and love Woodland Park Zoo. The name they selected—Eagle—honors their local roots. Eagle the penguin chick. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. After acing his first veterinary exam last week , Eagle continues to do well and is now spending time out in the exhibit with the colony. You can identify him by his blue band—try to spot him soaring through the water on your next visit! Watch Eagle soar...underwater. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Become a ZooParent today and adopt Eagle the penguin chick . Your adoption helps us provide daily care for Eagle and all the animals at the zoo, while also supporting conservation for penguins and other species threat

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications …49…50! Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. With two late-in-the-season Humboldt penguin hatchings, Woodland Park Zoo has hit a new milestone— 50 chicks hatched since 2010, the first breeding season in our new penguin exhibit. Over the last six breeding seasons at the zoo, penguin chicks have typically hatched between April and May. While the two chicks are latecomers, they are genetically valuable to the North America population. They are the first offspring for 3-year-old father Maximiliano and numbers 11 and 12 for 8-year-old Dora. Video: Tiny penguin chicks mark 50th hatching at Woodland Park Zoo. The chicks are off exhibit in nesting burrows where they are under the care of the parents. To ensure the chicks are achieving growth milestones, staff weighs them as they develop. Staff minimizes intervention to allow the parents to raise their chicks and gain parental experience. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park