Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Video: SAFE Western Pond Turtle Conservation via Association of Zoos and Aquariums Today is World Turtle Day and the perfect time to join Woodland Park Zoo and zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to take action to help save the endangered western pond turtle from extinction. For 25 years, Woodland Park Zoo has partnered with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to recover western pond turtles, including raising and releasing turtles back to protected wetlands. Oregon Zoo and other state, federal and private partners have since joined the effort to bring the imperiled species back from the brink of extinction. This western pond turtle hatched overnight as World Turtle Day dawned. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. The species once ranged from Baja California to Puget Sound, including the Columbia River Gorge. In 1990, only about 150 western pond turtles remained in the wi

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Is your yard a stomping ground for cougars, coyotes, raccoons, skunks or bears? Would you like to see what passes through your yard even when you’re not around? We’re looking for community members like you to allow us to place a remote camera on your property to collect data for our new research study: the Washington Urban–Wildland Carnivore Project. A black bear's image caught by a remote camera in the study. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. A collaboration between Woodland Park Zoo and the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the Washington Urban–Wildland Carnivore Project is exploring ways to promote coexistence among humans and carnivores in King County. The research explores how carnivores respond to urbanization and human activity by studying where and when they occur, what they eat, and what happens to the system when apex carnivores are absent. Bobcat. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. We’re

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. We've heard stories of river otter sightings during hiking trips or kayak voyages, and some Northwesterners have even spotted otters while simply walking the dog. If you have ever observed a wild river otter in Washington state—or if you encounter one on your next outdoor adventure—we want to hear from you. Become an Otter Spotter and submit your sightings to our new community science initiative , part of our Living Northwest conservation program. We're collecting data on otter sightings across Washington as we launch a new research project that takes a closer look at the state's virtually unstudied river otter populations. Led by Michelle Wainstein, PhD, a local ecologist and conservationist, the research project—River Otters of Western Washington: Sentinels of Ecological Health—has a special focus on one of Washington's most used waterways. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Th

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: Alissa Wolken, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo An Oregon spotted frog is released into wetlands. Nearly 750 Oregon spotted frogs reared at Woodland Park Zoo were released yesterday into marshy wetlands at a protected site in Pierce County. Gathering the frogs from their behind-the-scenes area at Woodland Park Zoo. Nearly 750 frogs were packed up for transport.  The frogs were collected from wetlands as eggs and placed at the zoo for hatching and rearing for approximately seven months in a predator-free home as they transformed from tadpoles to juveniles, increasing their survival by giving them a head start until they were large enough to avoid most predators. Unloading the containers of frogs at the protected wetlands site. The protected site provides marshy wetlands habitat for the frogs and future frog generations. Head starting and releasing the frogs is part of a cooperative program with Woodland Park Zo

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. The future weighs 2 ounces. We’re at the edge of the pond, and there are leaves scattered in the water that are bigger than the turtle in my hands. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. But now that it’s large enough to avoid the mouths of predators such as invasive bullfrogs, this turtle has a big role to play. After hatching and getting a head start at life behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo, turtle #5 and 24 others are off to their next great adventure: rebuilding the wild population of native western pond turtles in Washington state. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Western pond turtles were once common from Baja California to Puget Sound, including the Columbia River Gorge. However, loss of habitat, commercial exploitation for food, disease and introduced predators, such as bullfrogs and large-mouth bass, decimated their numbers. Photo by Jer

Posted by: Jim Watson, Raptor Ecology of the Shrub Steppe , a Woodland Park Zoo Living Northwest conservation project Golden eagle nestling prior to the Carlton Complex Fire in 2014. Photo by Scott Fitkin/Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Resilience” is a big word, but an important one, when referencing wild animals and their ability to traverse adverse circumstances. In 2014, eastern Washington was ravaged by several major forest fires lasting several weeks and eventually converging in what was termed the Carlton Complex Fire. The complex overlaid the area where 17 golden eagle nesting territories are located, including at least two territories where we had just deployed satellite transmitters on nestling eagles prior to the fire. Pre-fire golden eagle nesting habitat. Photo by Jim Watson/Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. As I anxiously monitored movements of the young birds remotely, via satellite, I was disappointed when both signals went off