Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project, which is working to bring native turtles back from the brink of extinction in Washington state. Woodland Park Zoo plays a major role in the recovery effort, a collaborative project that also includes partners at Oregon Zoo , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife . At WPZ, we headstart endangered western pond turtle hatchlings at the zoo, giving them a chance to grow in safety until they are large enough to avoid being eaten by predators. Then each year we release these headstarted turtles back into protected habitat in Washington state to help re-establish a self-sustaining wild population. When this program started 20 years ago, there were only 150 wild western pond turtles left in Washington state. Now, thanks to these conservation efforts, those numbers are up to 1,500. We’re honored to play this unique role

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Molly and Oliver, our newly arrived 3-month-old porcupines , had a check-up with our vet team this week. The exam, part of their standard 30-day-quarantine, included taking radiographs, blood samples, and weights. The animal health team deemed the two healthy and fit. Vets also inspected the bodies of the porcupines, which are covered with long hairs and quills. An adult porcupine is covered with 30,000 or more quills, with only its snout, throat, belly and feet pads exposed. The young pair is getting ready to move to their Northern Trail exhibit where they will be making a public debut in just a few weeks. This health exam helps to give us some baseline data so we can track how well they are doing once they get out there and as they grow and mature. Regular examinations are a part of the excellent animal care and preventive health program for the more than one thousand animals under the zoo’s care. We’ll update again when Molly a

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The snowy owlet that hatched in June is doing well and growing fast. It has begun to venture away from the nest and is quite active, moving around its exhibit and taking food from keepers now. The chick had its first vet exam this week and weighed in at 3.3 pounds. Because of the decline in snowy owl populations due to West Nile virus, it was very important for this young bird to receive the first in a series of West Nile vaccinations during the exam. The vets also drew blood for DNA testing which will determine its sex—we’ll let you know when we get the results! The chick is still largely covered with downy feathers but is beginning to grow in its adult plumage that gives the snowy owl its well-known white coloration. Look for the fast-growing chick on exhibit now in the Northern Trail biome of Woodland Park Zoo. Photos by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Even the animals will have a blast over the Fourth of July weekend with our annual Red, White & Zoo enrichment event, presented by Zookeeper and Columbia Pictures. Before you get your grill going, celebrate with us this Friday and Saturday, July 1 and 2, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and see meerkats , grizzlies , orangutans , hippos and many more animals enjoying a Fourth of July picnic featuring a menu of star-shaped popsicles, watermelons and even corn on the cob! The Fourth of July-themed treats are part of the excellent animal care program at Woodland Park Zoo and the zookeepers’ ongoing efforts to help enrich the lives of the zoo’s animals, promote natural animal behavior, keep animals mentally stimulated and engage zoo visitors. Here’s the full schedule of activities for the two days: Willawong Station - 10am-2:30pm Sow bugs (Bug World) - morning/afternoon Anoas - 10am Hippos - 10:30 a.m. Tigers - 11 a.m. Golden li

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Our little tree kangaroo joey is showing its face a bit more these days. We’re excited to catch and share these glimpses of the joey that is just now starting to emerge from its mother’s pouch at six months—that was a long wait for us to get a peek! A tree kangaroo joey will typically remain in its mother’s pouch for about 10 months. Once out, it’ll continue to return to its mother’s pouch until it is fully weaned, usually at around 13 months. Tree ‘roo mom Elanna is taking good care of the joey and the two are doing well in a quiet, behind-the-scenes exhibit at the zoo. Woodland Park Zoo is home to the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program that is working to protect the endangered tree kangaroo and help maintain the unique biodiversity of its native Papua New Guinea in balance with the culture and needs of human communities. If you’d like to help conserve tree kangaroos, you can go to www.zoo.org/treekangaroo/give , or use your ce

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Exciting news—we’ve made the very first sightings of our Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey! At six months old, the joey is just now beginning to emerge from its mother’s pouch. First the keepers spied only the joey’s ear poking out of the pouch, but within a few days, its whole face emerged. Joey’s face emerges. Photo by Wendy Gardner/Woodland Park Zoo. Born the size of a lima bean in December 2010, the joey has been developing unseen inside its mother’s pouch where it gets nourishment and protection. Tree ‘roo mother, four-year-old Elanna, has been cleaning the joey and providing excellent care. The two are living adjacent to father Huen in a quiet outdoor exhibit behind the scenes at the zoo where keepers can closely monitor the progress of mom and joey. Mother Elanna feeds while joey remains protected in pouch. Photo by Wendy Gardner/Woodland Park Zoo. This rare birth, part of the cooperative breeding Species Survival Plan program fo

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications At Bear Affair this weekend, zookeepers teamed up with bear ecologist Chris Morgan from the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project —a Woodland Park Zoo Partner for Wildlife —to demonstrate what happens if we don’t follow safety precautions when living or camping in bear country. Our partners at GBOP want us all to be Bear Smart and act responsibly to ensure the safety of people and bears. They tell us sanitation and common sense are the keys to preventing problems. Remember, food and odors attract bears. Carelessly stored human food, livestock feed, garbage, and even barbeque grease and bird seed can attract bears and keep them coming back. Do not allow a bear to get a food reward and associate that reward with humans—you may endanger yourself and other people, and the outcome is often the unnecessary death of a bear. Bear Affair visitors learned Bear Smart tips and practices, but if you missed the event, you can find those tips at the GBOP w

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications With recent bear sightings in Bothell and Renton, and the start of camping and cook-out season, we want to make sure you are prepared with essential tips for living with wildlife here in the Pacific Northwest. We’re dedicating June 4 to a day of programming that will show you how to avoid attracting bears to your home and campsite, while also showing you how to attract wildlife you do want to your backyard, including birds and butterflies. Join us June 4 for our annual Bear Affair and Big Howl for Wolves presented by Brown Bear Car Wash . You’ll meet bear ecologist and adventurer Chris Morgan who’ll make a guest appearance for bear demonstrations and a book signing. Watch grizzlies rip through a mock campsite and a yard setting in the naturalistic grizzly bear exhibit. Learn safety camping tips by Boy Scouts. Talk to representatives from Wolf Haven International and Conservation Northwest. Get up close to a Karelian bear dog and find

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications You may have seen in the news this week that a convicted German man was sentenced to prison in a case of illegal live tarantula smuggling. What you may not realize is that the tarantulas that survived the smuggling are now being cared for at Woodland Park Zoo. Here’s what happened: In March 2010, federal agents intercepted an international attempt to smuggle nearly 300 live tarantulas in a sting operation called (no joke) “Operation Spiderman.” Agents found several different kinds of tarantulas, including species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) , in the intercepted package. The confiscated tarantulas were sent to Woodland Park Zoo last year where we have given them a temporary home in a behind-the-scenes area of our Bug World exhibit. Since the tarantulas had been considered evidence in the case, we have not been able to tell you about them until now. In effect, these tarantulas were

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications UPDATE (5/23) - Nearly 400 people submitted name ideas and after narrowing it down to our top 5 choices, "Kaa" came out the winner with 44% of the vote! You can come meet "Kaa" (named for the Jungle Book character) in the Day Exhibit. We’ve got a big, new squeeze at the zoo—a 100-pound, 8-year-old male reticulated python now on view in the Day Exhibit. We need your help to name him! We’re collecting your name suggestions via our Facebook page through May 13, noon PST (complete instructions on our Facebook page). Zookeepers will select their five favorite names from the submissions and fans will then vote on May 17 on the zoo’s Facebook page for their top pick. The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world, with some rare specimens exceeding 30 feet in length and weighing 300 pounds, though its average size is 10 to 20 feet in length. As a constrictor, the python is not venomous but kills its prey by wr

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Last week, 16-week-old ocelot kitten Evita learned about water. First we added still water to her exhibit and she did not hesitate to splash around in it. Then we turned on the exhibit's stream to get her used to running water. And last Friday we put live trout in the stream to give Evita her very first fishing experience. Evita stayed close to her mother, Bella, watching Bella's moves before trying some out on her own. In the above video you'll also see her exploring all around her exhibit as she becomes more adventurous and curious each day. Have you seen Evita out on exhibit yet? Her most active times seem to be between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Look for her in the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest exhibit.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Five Humboldt penguin chicks hatched this past February and took their first steps out into their exhibit on Monday morning. The chicks, who practiced swimming behind the scenes in a secure pool room before their debut, took to the water quickly and have been exploring all around their exhibit. The colony is adjusting well to the new additions, which are significant hatchings for the penguin Species Survival Plan . Humboldt penguins are an endangered species and here at the zoo these birds are important conservation ambassadors to teach visitors about the impacts humans have on penguins in their range countries. You can tell the chicks apart from the adults by looking for their lighter, more grayish plumage. Look for them during your next visit! Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Video by Erika Schultz, courtesy Seattle Times.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Our limited-engagement “ Dinosaurs. Real Close. ” exhibit opens this weekend! We’d like to introduce you to the cast of characters you will encounter when you step back through time for a Mesozoic meetup with friends and family in the new exhibit. Brachiosaurus was one of the tallest and largest dinosaurs at about 42-feet tall and 100-feet long. This late Jurassic vegetarian weighed in at 50 tons, which is equivalent to around 20 African elephants! If the Brachiosaurus sounds a bit gassy when you encounter it in the exhibit, consider how much food it must have had to eat every day to keep up its size—which also explains why fossil evidence suggests its poop could weigh more than a small car! The crested Dilophosaurus looked fierce, but scientists tell us they likely appeared scarier than their bite. Dilophosaurus teeth and jaws were too weak to bring down or hold large prey. More likely their sharp claws and opposable thumbs would

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Three-month-old ocelot kitten Evita took her first steps out into her Tropical Rain Forest exhibit yesterday morning. Evita has been bonding with mother Bella in a behind-the-scenes area since her birth in January. Yesterday marked the first time the kitten was given access to her full exhibit. Her entry into the exhibit was tentative. She would climb the ramp that connects her behind-the-scenes space with the enclosure, poke her head into the exhibit and look around, but then retreat to her den behind-the-scenes. After a few of those false starts, curiosity took hold and Evita eventually followed the calls of her mom and she entered the exhibit space. Evita stayed close to her mom the whole time as she explored this new place filled with plants and dirt and mist from above. Evita spent most of her first hour looking around, taking in her new surroundings. This first day of introductions to the exhibit went well, but Evita is not yet full-tim