Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Everyone's favorite ocelot kittens received their 18-week physical examination from Woodland Park Zoo's Animal Health staff last week. The female twins--named Novia and Corisandra--were weighed and measured, had their blood drawn and received their final set of vaccinations as kittens. All is well and the kittens will soon begin their introduction to the ocelot exhibit. Ocelot footprints were also taken during the exam for sale at the upcoming animal art show , opening this Saturday, 2/7.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Check out this must-see video of Towan, a 41-year-old orangutan, creating a work of art. Notice how he uses both his dextrous hands and his prehensile lips to manipulate his suite of artist's tools, which include paint brushes, markers, and even tooth brushes. You can see Towan's finished pieces at a fundraiser art show --the first art show of its kind in Seattle--at Art/Not Terminal Gallery Feb. 7 - March 5. And join us for opening night Feb. 7 to meet the keepers and hear more about Towan's and the other animal's artistic process.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Don't miss Seattle's first ever animal art show ! Not art about animals, but art by animals. You'll find more than 20 pieces on display and for sale Feb. 7 - March 5 at Art/Not Terminal Gallery (2045 Westlake Ave). From framed animal footprints, to colorful orangutan and elephant originals, this gallery presentation is unlike any art show you've ever seen. Join us for a wine & cheese reception (provided by PengWine ) on opening night Feb. 7, 7-10 p.m . Meet the keepers who will discuss the animals' art--their favorite techniques and independent styles--and the big idea behind it all: ongoing enrichment to engage and stimulate the animals in the zoo's care. Proceeds from the art show will help fund the combined conferences of the American Association of Zoo Keepers and International Congress of Zookeepers (AAZK/ICZ) being hosted by Woodland Park Zoo and the Puget Sound Chapter of AAZK in September 2009. This w

Posted by: Eric Kowalczyk, Zookeeper The national bird of Nepal has now made its way to Seattle. New to the zoo is a pair of Himalayan monal ( Lophophorus impeyanus ) pheasants, donated by a private aviculturist from Burien. This species is endangered due to habitat destruction and overhunting for food. Himalayan monals are typically found at elevations 9,000 to 14,500 feet from east Afghanistan eastwards through the Himalayas to Bhutan and northeast India and northward to Tibet. During the non-winter seasons, they prefer steep, rocky terrain with occasional grassy and scrub openings interspersed with woods. In the winter months, the birds descend to forested areas at lower altitudes where there is dense undergrowth. These birds are on exhibit at the Conservation Aviary in the Temperate Forest biome of the zoo. The very colorful male is adorned with iridescent plumage that shows best on sunny days. Ironically with this rainbow of colors, what is most prominent during courtship display

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Grizzly bear brothers Keema and Denali celebrated their 15th birthday this week with some thoughtful cards and treats from their keepers! You can catch the brothers in the zoo’s award-winning Northern Trail exhibit, or watch them at home on the Bear Cam . Photo by Pam Cox.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Looks like I wasn't the only one kicking up my heels to bring in the New Year... Volunteer photographer Dennis Dow snapped some terrific photos of the gazelles pronking and the zebras in action out in the zoo's award-winning African Savanna this past week. "I was walking past the African Savanna on Friday Jan. 2 in the late afternoon and noticed that the gazelles were playing and running after each other. Within a minute or so the oryx and zebras followed suit and were kicking up their heels and bounding around the savanna," said Dennis. What a fun start to the new year!

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications What are your unforgettable 2008 zoo moments? Share with us in the comments! Here’s my personal countdown of favorite zoo happenings in 2008: 8. A New Giraffe is Here! 7. Year of the Frog kicks off 6. Zoo goes pink with flamingos 5. Making way for penguins 4. Baby gorilla gets helping hand from Children’s Hospital 3. Whoop-de-zoo! Orangutans celebrate their 40th 2. Headstarted endangered turtles graduate into the wild 1. Ocelot kittens brighten the day

Posted by: Alicia Marlow, Communications The grizzly bears got a special winter treat this week. Part of our Winter Celebration enrichment for the animals, zoo staffers got out of the office and joined keepers in decorating some trees in the bears’ exhibit with spaghetti noodles, slices of pineapple, cherries, marshmallows, and even some honey. The volunteers did a good job of making the trees look festive, despite the strong winds blowing the treats all around! Once the two grizzlies were let back into their exhibit, they wasted no time splitting up and each went to a different tree to enjoy the goodies. As the many people that came to see the bears watched, the bears themselves had a little trouble with the wind in their excitement. One had to rebalance himself and step back while the other decided the best way to solve the problem was to sit as close to the tree as he could, even if it meant breaking some branches! Photos by Ryan Hawk.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Savvy zoo visitors know that while snowfall at the zoo might make it hard to spot some of the animals, others are picture perfect out in the elements. The novel weather brings out the inquisitive nature in many zoo animals and creates a beautiful backdrop for shutterbugs. Here are some of my favorite photos our zoo photographers have snapped of Woodland Park Zoo’s residents in the Seattle snow: If you snap any great snow photos at the zoo, please upload them to our Facebook page fan photo album or add them to the slideshow featured on our blog sidebar by tagging them on flickr.com with the phrase “woodlandparkzoo.” Photos by Ryan Hawk and Dennis Dow.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications No art collection is complete without an original painting by Woodland Park Zoo's 40-year-old orangutan, Towan. And with the holidays here, now's your chance to give a unique gift to the animal lover in your life. Towan's latest work, a 16"x20" painting done in festive acrylic red and green to reflect the theme of the holiday season, comes framed behind glass in a matte black wood frame. Included is a certificate of authenticity. Bidding has begun on eBay , ending December 12 at 10:36:30 PST. Don't miss your chance! Funds raised through this eBay auction will help support the 2009 conference of the Third Annual International Congress of Zookeepers/36th American Association of Zookeepers National Conference to be held at Woodland Park Zoo. This combined ICZ/AAZK conference represents the first time these two professional zoo keeper organizations have joined to bring together animal care professionals from around the w

We get dozens of emails a day, and often the same questions come up again and again. It seems there are some common misconceptions about how the zoo works, so we thought we’d post responses to some of those most frequently asked questions in a new “Did you know?” blog feature. Look for “Did you know?” posts over the next few weeks. ________________________________________ Did you know? The majority of the animals at the zoo are not “tame." Many people contact us asking to go in and pet the tigers or play with the monkeys, thinking that because the animals are in a zoo, they must be tame. In fact, we make every effort to ensure that the animals retain their wild behaviors and so even zookeepers do not go directly into exhibits with the animals (except the domestic cows, sheep, goats and chickens, of course!). So how do we care for them? Each day, our animals are visually monitored for their health and well being and we use what is called operant conditioning training for managing t

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications We've been updating you frequently with behind-the-scenes photos of the two ocelot kittens. And while it's easy (and fun) to get caught up in how cute they are, it's important to remember that these kittens are also ambassadors for their endangered wild counterparts. Ocelots are still in high demand for the fur industries in Europe and Asia, which leads to abuse of the already existing laws protecting ocelots and other small cats. Ocelot numbers are also decreasing rapidly as a result of habitat destruction and the black market pet trade. Threatened throughout their entire range, ocelots are also becoming exceedingly rare in several areas. In the U.S., ocelots once ranged throughout the southwest from Arizona to Louisiana, yet now less than 100 ocelots are estimated to be left in the U.S. For simple ways to help save endangered species, visit our How You Can Help webpage. Photos: Ocelots at 8 weeks, by Ryan Hawk.

Posted by: Walter Dupree, Animal Collections Manager A new female giraffe arrived at Woodland Park Zoo last Friday. Born February 27, 2007, she’s not quite two yet, coming to us from Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri. (Photo: The giraffe arrives in the trailer.) The giraffe arrived early Friday morning after a three day trip and was quite feisty when we were unloading her from the trailer, letting us know she wanted out. And we all felt that was a good sign! (Photo: The trailer is backed up to the loading chute) For those that know the giraffe barn—the indoor space where the giraffes are kept when not out on the African Savanna—there is a load/unload chute at the back end of the barn. The animal transporter positioned the trailer in which the giraffe arrived against the transfer chute, opened the door, and after just a few hesitant seconds, she walked out of the trailer and right into the barn…just as if she had been here all her life! (Photo: The giraffes show interest in each other.)

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The 5-week-old galago babies received another vet check-up this morning, which gave us a chance to snap some photos of the tiny primates who are quickly growing. (Remember these photos from when they were just one week old?) The two galago babies are out on view now in the Night Exhibit, which is kept in darkness during the day so visitors can watch nocturnal animals in their element. Look for them in the nesting box inside the Night Exhibit.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications What happens when the Ballard Pudus—a local youth soccer team—meet the Woodland Park Zoo pudus? Pure, pudu magic. The Ballard Pudus, an official Ballard Youth Soccer team made up of 7-8 year olds, got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet their namesake behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo last month. The pudu, a South American deer, and, in fact, the world’s smallest species of deer, may not always get the spotlight. But 7-year-old Anna has had a lifelong love of pudus, making them her number one animal to look for whenever she visits the zoo. So when her Ballard Youth Soccer Team had a chance to come up with a team name, Anna used her pudu-passion to convince her teammates to take on the unique moniker. The oddly named soccer team may draw some puzzled looks on the field, but their team name actually helps to promote knowledge about this little known endangered species. After meeting the zoo’s pudus and talking to their keepers, the soc

Posted by: David Schaefer, Director of Public Affairs Want to know what we’ll be up to next year? The zoo’s draft plan for 2009 operations is now posted on the zoo’s website and is available at the zoo’s administrative offices and with the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation. The annual plan is made public as part of the Woodland Park Zoo Society’s operations agreement with the city of Seattle. Among the highlights planned for 2009 are the new Humboldt penguin exhibit—the most significant new animal exhibit in a decade at the zoo—and a new food concession contract. Other changes include expansion of the education programs offered to the public, changes to accommodate additional guest parking and further incentives to reduce auto use by our staff. New animals expected to join the collection in 2009 include a silverback lowland gorilla, a giraffe and zebra. We will exhibit a tree kangaroo, representing one of the zoo’s ambitious field conservation efforts. We also will participate in

Watch the bushbabies (also known as galagos) get their vet exam under the care of our animal health team and zookeepers. Turn up the sound to learn more about what you're seeing: The galago babies are on view now in the Night Exhibit. You'll most likely spot them in a nesting box in their exhibit space.

Watch the 5-week-old ocelots during their weekly exam with their zookeepers: As you can imagine, these early weeks are critical to the ocelots’ growth, so they remain quietly and safely off view with their mother. But thanks to the great work of our keepers, vets, and staff photographer, you get to watch the kittens grow behind-the-scenes as we post more photos, videos and stories. Want to be the first to see new videos? Subscribe to our popular YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/woodlandparkzoo .

Here's the latest snapshot of the two ocelot kittens--now 5 weeks old--taken Tuesday at their weekly weigh-in. The ocelots are doing well behind-the-scenes with their mother. Their father is out on exhibit now in the Tropical Rain Forest building.