Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Photos by: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo The tools of the trade for hand raising a wallaroo joey: 1. A heavy duty pillowcase-like pouch for sleepy time 2. A handmade bottle adapter equipped with customized parts all the way from Australia for feedings 3. A kangaroo plush so the baby can redirect his playful bites and kicks at something other than one of us! 4. A lot of patience, a lot of compassion, and a sharp focus on letting a wallaroo be a wallaroo When it became apparent at six-and-a-half months of age that wallaroo joey, Yuri, wasn’t receiving from his mother the nutrition he needed to grow, we were ready to step in. But just as importantly when hand raising an animal, we’ve been getting ready to step back out. For Yuri, first it took a village, but now it takes a (wallaroo) mob. The first days of hand raising Upon the first signs that intervention was needed, Yuri was taken to the zoo’s Animal Health Complex wh

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Stellar. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Enticed by a bowl of blueberries, red panda Stellar knows what to do. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. She makes her way to her keeper in a behind-the-scenes room, gets up on her hind legs and props herself onto a T-stand—constructed by the keeper for this very purpose—and waits for her reward. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. While Stellar takes berries from her keeper or sometimes buries her face full in a bowl of biscuits soaked in apple juice, a member of our animal health team conducts a non-invasive ultrasound exam on her. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. We’re hoping for signs that will verify a pregnancy. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Several months ago, we introduced our new male red panda, Yukiko, to 8-year-old Stellar. The pair has successfully mated and now the ultrasound examinations are regularly underway—eve

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Beautiful Nina. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. A great grandmother and the bedrock of our gorilla groups, Nina passed away today at the age of 47. The elderly gorilla had received such tender, specialized care from her keepers in her final geriatric years, but old age caught up with her today. After a normal morning of eating and resting, Nina was not visible in any of her favorite spots in the exhibit later in the morning. When the keepers became concerned and started looking for her, she was spotted, not moving, under a large tree. Nina was taken to our veterinary hospital where animal care and veterinary staff made the humane decision to euthanize her. Nina enjoying a birthday treat earlier this year. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Earlier this year many of you joined us for a special celebration in honor of Nina, her silverback mate Pete, as well as orangutan twins, Towan and Chinta, all of whom celebrated their

VIDEO: Elephants Chai and Bamboo resting at San Diego Zoo. Footage courtesy of San Diego Zoo. Woodland Park Zoo’s female Asian elephants, Bamboo and Chai, spent the weekend at San Diego Zoo after their trip to Oklahoma City Zoo was rerouted due to a storm in Colorado and Wyoming that was expected to increase in severity. The pair continues to rest in comfort. According to Dr. Nancy Hawkes, Woodland Park Zoo’s general curator, Bamboo, 48, and Chai, 36, are eating, sleeping and interacting with their keepers, all positive signs they are doing well. “Blood draws and other tests show no evidence of medical concerns. Both elephants are hydrated and they are moving about normally,” said Hawkes. While at San Diego Zoo, the elephants are in an indoor facility in quarantine, which is standard procedure for any new animal at the zoo. The elephants have access to two large indoor rooms and an outdoor yard, all of which are off view to the public. Woodland Park Zoo’s keepers are provi

Two days ago, Woodland Park Zoo’s female Asian elephants, Bamboo and Chai, departed on a custom-built elephant transport vehicle for their new home at Oklahoma City Zoo. The caravan had to change their route in Salt Lake City due to a storm in Colorado and Wyoming that was expected to increase in severity. Because the reroute would have extended the trip a day longer, a decision was made for veterinary precautions to go to San Diego Zoo and allow the elephants to rest. Bamboo and Chai at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Mandi Fillmore/Woodland Park Zoo A total of three elephant experts, two veterinarians and three staff with the transportation consultant are accompanying the truck transporting Bamboo and Chai. The team has been making stops every few hours for wellness checks on the elephants and to provide food and change water. According to Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo, an extra day on the road would have been challenging for Bamboo and Chai. “For their wel

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Sunny the otter (foreground) with her mate, Duncan. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. For the past couple of decades, a female river otter named Salishan enchanted visitors with her energetic diving, gliding and cuteness. Now we say goodbye to the otter keepers fondly called "Sunny." Sunny was humanely euthanized today at the age of 19 following a period of declining health and lethargy. River otters live 8 to 10 years in the wild and 18 to 20 years in zoos. The zoo’s consulting veterinary cardiologist, Dr. Jerry Woodfield with Northwest Cardiology Consultants, diagnosed the otter a year ago with age-related congestive heart failure. She was given a prognosis of three to six months to live but survived another 12 months. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. “Targeted treatment, close monitoring, excellent supportive care, and lots of TLC by our keeper and veterinary staff all contributed to giving Salishan a v

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications We’ve got a new arrival to the Temperate Forest… he’s got a fiery red coat and his name is Yukiko!  As part of Woodland Park Zoo’s preventive care program, our veterinary team performed a full physical examination of Yukiko including his weight, blood work and radiographs. “We are pleased overall with his weight and blood work and he appears to be in good shape,” said Dr. Darin Collins, director of Woodland Park Zoo’s Animal Health Programs.  Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo. Yukiko during his preventative exam. Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo. Dr. Darin Collins checks out Yukiko's teeth and gums. Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo. The 9-year-old panda arrived under the Red Panda Species Survival Plan conservation breeding program from Red River Zoo in Fargo, N.D. Yukiko will be paired up with our female, 7-year-old Stellar, in the hopes that they hit it off. The breeding season for red pandas occurs fro

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Attention TGIFers: Here is your update on the most adorable trio in Seattle. Our wriggly little lion cubs aced their 6-week exams this morning. Zoo veterinarians gave the energetic cublets a clean bill of health and good marks on their growth milestones. The routine wellness exam included blood draws, vaccinations, weigh-ins and an overall health assessment for the three boys. The cubs were a bit suspicious of the stethoscope, but all in all they were very calm during their exam. Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo. Throughout the exam the cubs were pretty quiet with a few occasional little growls. Their keepers were by their side at all times to reassure them. Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo. The cubs currently weigh between 15 and 17 pounds, which means they are getting plenty of mom’s milk and are growing quickly. The smallest cub is also the feistiest, just in case you were curious.  “We’re very pleased to rep

Posted by Caileigh Robertson, Communications Sam the miniature donkey. Photo by Dennis Dow/WPZ. Sneezes, sniffles and itchiness are all signs of allergies in humans and, as research indicates, they’re common symptoms in allergic animals too—especially for one miniature donkey at Woodland Park Zoo. Sam, one of our two mini donkeys living at the Family Farm, is allergic to hay! Zookeepers noticed him becoming itchy around hay, which serves as feed for Sam and his herd mate, Rico. Sam continuously rubbed and scratched against posts in his Family Farm barn, and his coat became short and thin. After a blood test came back confirming his hay allergy, our keepers and animal health team crafted a treatment plan to reduce his symptoms and ease his discomfort. Photo by Ric Brewer/WPZ. Keepers promptly switched Sam’s feed to Bermuda grass hay, which doesn’t trigger allergic reactions like Timothy grass, commonly known for its pollen allergen. Although Sam experiences itchy sid

Posted by: Dr. Deborah Jensen, President and CEO Photo by Matt Hagen. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The first wealth is health.” It’s a truism that applies to all species. Although we may think our aches and pains are uniquely human, biologically speaking, Homo sapiens is just another species of animal. As a result, we are more similar genetically to other creatures than we are different, so we share many naturally occurring diseases. Health professionals caring for animals and humans often confront similar clinical questions, but to date don’t readily have avenues to work together on solutions. Woodland Park Zoo is working to change that. As global health challenges ask us to be more creative about our long-term well-being, we’re asking: what can we learn from a cross-species approach to health. Can we harness knowledge from both the veterinary and human medical sciences? At the 4th annual Zoobiquity Conference, November 1, 2014, held at the University of Washington an

Posted by: Dr. Darin Collins, DVM, Director, Animal Health The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America has proclaimed October 12-18, 2014 to be National Veterinary Technician Week. Please join me in celebrating this week and share with Woodland Park Zoo's veterinary technicians, Harmony, Linda, Teri, Barb and Kimberly, how much you appreciate them and their work! Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Our Woodland Park Zoo veterinary technicians have over a 100 years of combined professional work experience. They are licensed professionals having graduated from accredited programs, and are members of their professional organization. Our technicians are highly trained in the latest medical advances and skilled at working alongside the zoo veterinarians to give all our zoo patients the best medical care possible. Being a zoo veterinary technician is a lifelong learning process through continuing education, and day-to-day work where they must uphold th

Watoto, photographed in June 2014. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. We have heard touching stories from so many of you about how Watoto impacted your lives, and we want to share the latest news to keep you informed on a subject we know is so close to your hearts. Following Watoto’s death in August, we have now received laboratory results that are helping us understand more about the loss of our 45-year-old female African elephant. According to the zoo’s Director of Animal Health, Dr. Darin Collins, the most relevant finding from the pathology report was the chronic, age-related arthritis in the elephant’s leg joints, which had been described during the post-mortem examination. Additional findings in other tissues examined, such as age-related changes in heart and muscles, were mild and within expected limits and were not life-threatening. There was no evidence of an infectious disease process, in the joints or in other tissues examined. In addition, the pathologist did n

Posted by Caileigh Robertson, Communications Back in his outdoor exhibit with his group, silverback Vip is breathing more freely since his successful sinus surgery . In late August, a team of ear, nose and throat specialists joined Woodland Park Zoo’s animal health team to clear Vip of sinus blockage caused by a severe sinus infection, and have continued working with our staff to monitor his progress since the surgery. After the procedure, and necessary days of rest and recovery, Vip’s healthy appetite and curious demeanor were welcome signs to his care team. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo To ensure Vip is on track for long-term success, our animal health team and consulting physicians will take a look at his improved sinus condition and clear any remaining blockage during a follow-up procedure this Saturday, October 4. Our animal health team has also called on the help of a local oral surgeon to give Vip a thorough dental evaluation during this weekend’s procedure. Alt