Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We’d like to introduce you to some fabulous, feathered friends in the hornbill department! Three species have recently landed, and we can’t wait for you to get to know them.   Rhinoceros hornbill  Buceros rhinoceros    Jack has red eyes with a black ring around them. Biscuit has blueish-white eyes with a red ring around them. Meet Jack and Biscuit, our stunning male and female pair. Though they are similar in size and appearance, their eyes are distinctive. Jack has red eyes with a black rim. Biscuit has white eyes with a red rim. Hornbills mate for life and are extremely dedicated pairs. Visit them at Trail of Vines between siamangs—and fittingly— Glenn the rhino. Range: Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and the islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Habitat: Primary and secondary tropical rainforest. They depend on large trees with adequately sized cavities for nesting. Diet: Rhinoceros Hornbills a...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto/Communications with Animal Keeper Maddie Weholt Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Happy 3rd birthday to Juniper and Fern! Since their arrival at Woodland Park Zoo in 2022, rescued brown bears Juniper and Fern have snuggled into just about every heart in the Puget Sound. They are now snuggled up in their very own den—dreaming of spring! The brown bears during a lazy wrestle sesh on a den-break in January 2025. Both cubs were rescued from their native habitats. Juniper is a coastal brown bear from Anchorage, Alaska; Fern is a grizzly bear from Montana. They were too young to survive on their own. It is estimated the cubs were each born in January 2022. An image from the den cam shows Fern and Juniper snug as can be! January 2025 Fern and Juniper bonded quickly after being introduced on Woodland Park Zoo's Living Northwest Trail in November 2022 and the rest is history. We can't believe these love muffins are turning three! While we don'...

 Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Royal ball python, Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo Lunar New Year ushers in 2025 with intelligence,  resilience  and renewal as we celebrate year of the snake! The symbol of the snake in the Chinese zodiac is known to represent charm, intuition and deep thinking. This year is also an Earth snake, which means 2025 could be a year for growth and creativity.    As snake enthusiasts, we also want to take this opportunity to celebrate snakes as the ecological powerhouses that they are. Snakes encourage biodiversity and are often ecosystem stabilizers as both predator and prey. There are more than 3,000 species of snake worldwide and around 150 species native to North America. At Woodland Park Zoo, we have a long history of caring for snakes and educating guests about their role in the ecosystem. We want you to get to know a few of our snakes—and hopefully you can channel their cool, chill, ectothermic vibes into 2025...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Maned wolf Rosario We are thrilled to welcome two long-legged and adorable new residents of the Wildlife Survival Zone... maned wolves Urso and Rosario! Urso, a young male, was born on January 31, 2022 to parents Brisa and Sheldon along with his three siblings Jaci, Caipora and Cinza at Audubon Zoo. Urso means bear in Portuguese. Urso is very easy to spot since he lost his tail as a very young pup due to an injury. He is a very handsome maned wolf with striking red fur and bright eyes. Urso is a bit shy and is adjusting to his new environment, but animal keepers say they expect him to blossom once he gets settled into his new digs with Rosario.  Maned wolf Urso Rosario, a 7-year-old female, is relaxed and comfortable in her new home. Rosario has settled right into her habitat and seems very chill. Rosario and her brother Rio were born to parents Anaheim and Nazca on March 7, 2016 at Greensboro...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications with Animal Keeper Allison Barr Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Keema! The big grizzly puts on quite a show while splashing in the bear pool, 2022. Since Juniper the brown bear cub joined the Living Northwest Trail in July , the little floof has been grabbing the attention of visitors and has amassed quite a following on certain social platforms, ahem #cutestbearcubinthewholeworld, but all along folks have been asking after Keema, our older grizzly bear too. Keema is still our favorite (we can have more than one), and we're so happy to see his fan club is still going strong. There were lots of questions about how Keema was doing after losing Denali (his brother who passed away in 2020), what he would think of Juniper and the new cub , and how the older bear is doing in his golden years. We asked dedicated animal keeper Allison Barr a few questions about the big guy and her answers will make you fall even more in love with K...

Mother's Day is May 8th, 2022. Here are our 10 favorite gift ideas for every type of 'mom' in your life! 1. Name a Pollinator  in honor of mom! Support your zoo and choose from a bumblebee, hummingbird or butterfly. Gifts of any amount make a big difference in our work to preserve pollinator habitats, restore threatened butterfly populations and educate millions of visitors about the importance of biodiversity in sustaining all life.  zoo.org/nameapollinator 2. Butterflies and tea.  Plan the ultimate date with mom, gift her a visit to the zoo to see Molbak's Butterfly Garden (Any time after May 27th, when it opens for the season), then treat her to a mom-worthy tea or latte at a nearby coffee shop, we recommend Fresh Flours on Phinney.  3. Enjoy a new experience together! Check out Critter Connections, a new immersive and interactive zone where you can introduce mom to her new favorite ambassador animals. Get up close with Skyaana the porcupine, Harry the Skunk, Bud...