Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Keema was the bestest grizzly bear. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our older male grizzly bear, Keema. The 28-year-old was humanely euthanized on Christmas day due to a severe decline in his health, including a lack of appetite and reduced mobility. Keema would have turned 29 on January 15. Male grizzly bears have a median life expectancy of 21 years in human care, and often less in the wild. For the past few months, the zoo’s animal care team has had Keema under close observation . He has undergone diagnostic examinations due to declining mobility, but the veterinary team did not find any treatable underlying diseases. The geriatric bear has been on prescribed analgesics and joint medication to address his arthritis and keep him comfortable for as long as possible. “While Keema had been hanging in there, he had been declining in mobility which is not uncommon for aging animals. He ...

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 Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s newest bear cub, a female grizzly, is growing and thriving, and she now has a name. Culturally resonating with the abundance of fern throughout the Pacific Northwest, the cub’s name is Fern! Fern was named by special friends of the zoo. Maryanne Tagney and David Jones are longtime supporters of Woodland Park Zoo's conservation efforts. Maryanne's active role in Northwest conservation issues and environmental politics for more than 30 years has moved the needle on the zoo’s ability to preserve and recover landscapes and learn to coexist with wildlife. "We were honored to be asked to name little Fern, the zoo’s adorable new rescued grizzly cub! She is a living and breathing example of the critical wildlife conservation work that we have been supporting since the zoo first created the Living Northwest Conservation Program,” said Tagney. “We were delighted to arran...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications This female grizzly cub will be introduced to our other orphaned cub, a brown bear named Juniper. The two of them will live together in the Living Northwest Trail bear habitat. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo  In mid-July, we welcomed a brown bear cub rescued in Anchorage, Alaska . Now, 3 months later, Woodland Park Zoo welcomes another cub: a female grizzly that was orphaned in Montana due to conflicts between her mom and humans. The cub currently weighs 95 pounds and arrived at the zoo October 3. She is currently in a 30-day quarantine at the zoo’s hospital—standard practice for new arrivals to ensure the wellness of all our animals. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) had recently responded to a wave of bear conflicts stemming from a combination of human safety concerns, habituated bear behavior, unsecured attractants and other issues. On Sept. 20, FWP bear specialists captured an adult female grizzly bear—the moth...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos and video by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo is beary excited to welcome an orphaned brown bear cub to its home and family. The female cub, who currently weighs 89 pounds, was found roaming alone on an air force base near Anchorage, Alaska. She traveled via Alaska Air Cargo and arrived at the zoo July 13. Hello, little sweetheart! We are so lucky to be able to give you a home in the Living Northwest Trail. The new cub, who has yet to be named, was born this past winter and is assumed to be a singleton. Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) had received multiple reports of sightings of the lone cub; once they confirmed the mom was nowhere to be found and the cub was too young to survive on her own, they moved forward to lure the bear to safety.  A culvert trap on a trailer bed was used. “Usually bears have a sweet tooth, so we tried drawing her in with glazed donuts. However, this cub showed no interest in ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications The Komodo habitat is open again after undergoing significant improvements to make it better for the lizards, and for you!  Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Komodo dragons. They’re reptilian icons. They’re rare. They’re the largest lizards on the planet. And, visitors can discover these ambush predators at Woodland Park Zoo where two male Komodo dragons live. Their home has reopened after being closed all summer while undergoing extensive upgrades to improve their welfare, increase exhibit sustainability and enhance the visitor experience. Phoro: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo opened its Komodo dragon exhibit in 2000 with all the necessary comforts to meet the standards of care for the lizards. “However, in two decades we have come to understand the husbandry for these animals has advanced significantly and we needed to make changes to their home to ensure it evolves and matches the current state-of-th...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications New kid on the block! Mountain goat Atlin cuddles up to her newborn daughter, born July 16. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo A new mountain goat kid is leaping on the ledges of Woodland Park Zoo’s Northern Trail habitat. The kid, a girl, was born July 16 and is the second offspring for mom Atlin and dad Zeus. The mountain goat born at the zoo last year— part of the 2020 baby boom—was their first baby, Luna . The new kid—which hasn't been named yet—weighed in at 9.4 pounds during a neonatal exam performed by the zoo’s animal health staff. “She appears to be healthy. Her body condition is good and she’s getting sufficient nutrition and hydration. Her mobility indicates a healthy energy level,” said Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo. The female kid weighed in at 9.4 pounds at birth. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo “Within minutes of being born, young goats are on their feet and are capable of climbing...

Posted by Gigi Allianic Hello, snowy owl chick! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We're so excited to welcome a pair of snowy owl chicks to our zoo family, and these youngsters are all eyes! The last hatching of the species at Woodland Park Zoo’s was nine years ago. These owlets join the host of animals born or hatched at the zoo since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic including: a tawny frogmouth chick, a tapir calf, a gorilla baby, agouti pups, penguin chicks, scaly-sided merganser ducklings, a pudu fawn, a mountain goat kid, and more!  I see you! Snowy owl chicks, known as owlets, are covered in greyish down. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo First-time parents, mom June and dad Dusty, and their brood live in the Northern Trail habitat. “Mom sits on the nest most of the time, a sign of good maternal care. The owlets are beginning to venture outside the nest, so visitors may have the chance to see them on the ground,” said Kevin ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo This turtle-y awesome class of 2020 gets a head start on life! Washington state’s population of endangered western pond turtles will be bolstered when Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Woodland Park Zoo release close to 29 turtles next month to the wild at local protected sites. The turtles are a part of the collaborative Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project , a head start program initiated in 1991. It is Washington state’s longest-running species reintroduction project. Juvenile western pond turtles at Woodland Park Zoo are prepared to be released to the wild in August.  Each spring, WDFW biologists go in the field to attach transmitters to adult female western pond turtles and monitor them every few hours during the nesting season to locate nesting sites; the nests are protected from predators with wire exclosure cages. A portion of the eggs are...