Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is seeing spots after three snow leopard cubs were born on Memorial Day, May 27, 2024. These are the first snow leopard cubs to be born at the zoo since a single cub, Aibek, was born in 2017.  Marai with her newborn cubs on the cub cam, Woodland Park Zoo The cubs were born to parents Marai, 7, and Aibek, 6. This is their first litter of cubs after they were paired under the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan , a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. The mom and cubs are currently in an off-view maternity den to allow bonding and proper nursing in a quieter setting. Zoo staff closely watch the mother and cub on a den camera to watch for normal behaviors. It will be at least a couple months before the cubs are introduced to the outdoor, on-view exhibit. “As a first-time mom, Marai has amazed us with the level of care she's been giving her cub...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Sempurna the Malayan tapir in 2023 Woodland Park Zoo’s 3-year-old, female Malayan tapir named Sempurna (AKA the #SeattleWatermelon) will be leaving and heading off to a new home and adventures. The last day to see Sempurna will be March 13 in the zoo’s Trail of Vines habitat. Come and wish this sweetheart well! Sempurna will move to a zoo in North America that is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA); Woodland Park Zoo is also an AZA-accredited zoo. The Malayan tapir Species Survival Plan made the recommendation which includes plans to breed her in the future. Sempurna’s new zoo has asked Woodland Park Zoo to help keep their name under wraps so they can welcome her with a big splash when she’s ready to meet her new community! Sempurna in 2023 at Trail of Vines Sempurna was born to mom Ulan and dad Bintang in June 2020, a year that Woodland Park Zoo experienced an extraordina...

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The Woodland Park Zoo family just got cuter with the arrival of a tiny female pudu fawn. Pudus are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America. The fawn, which has yet to be named, was born May 5 to parents Ted and Maggie. The birth is the pudus' fourth offspring together since they were paired under the Pudu Species Survival Plan , a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. The fawn's father, Ted, is 7 years old and arrived at the zoo in 2017. The mother, Maggie, 6, came in 2018. This is the pair’s first female fawn. All three of their male fawns now live at accredited zoos across the country and are doing well. “We are very excited to have the first female pudu birth at the zoo since 2010. The fawn is healthy and continues to get more comfortable exploring the habitat,” said Shawn...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photo and video by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Brown bear cub, Juniper, and grizzly bear cub, Fern, are exploring their outdoor habitat together, and it’s double trouble, double adorable! Juniper’s presence has helped Fern acclimate to her new home much faster than usual. “Fern is responding to behavioral training and is making herself at home. Having Juniper here has truly helped,” said Erin Sullivan, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “The cubs are fast becoming best buds and Juniper has taken Fern under her wing. Zoo-goers are going to really enjoy watching the cubs grow, play and get into mischief together.” The naturalistic setting for the brown bears in the Living Northwest Trail offers a wealth of enrichment including a braided, flowing stream; a bear-sized swimming pool with live fish; exhibit “furniture” such as rocks for basking in the sun; tree stumps that make great scratching posts; browse and novel scents; and a q...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s newest bear cub, a female grizzly, is growing and thriving, and she now has a name. Culturally resonating with the abundance of fern throughout the Pacific Northwest, the cub’s name is Fern! Fern was named by special friends of the zoo. Maryanne Tagney and David Jones are longtime supporters of Woodland Park Zoo's conservation efforts. Maryanne's active role in Northwest conservation issues and environmental politics for more than 30 years has moved the needle on the zoo’s ability to preserve and recover landscapes and learn to coexist with wildlife. "We were honored to be asked to name little Fern, the zoo’s adorable new rescued grizzly cub! She is a living and breathing example of the critical wildlife conservation work that we have been supporting since the zoo first created the Living Northwest Conservation Program,” said Tagney. “We were delighted to arran...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos and video by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo is beary excited to welcome an orphaned brown bear cub to its home and family. The female cub, who currently weighs 89 pounds, was found roaming alone on an air force base near Anchorage, Alaska. She traveled via Alaska Air Cargo and arrived at the zoo July 13. Hello, little sweetheart! We are so lucky to be able to give you a home in the Living Northwest Trail. The new cub, who has yet to be named, was born this past winter and is assumed to be a singleton. Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) had received multiple reports of sightings of the lone cub; once they confirmed the mom was nowhere to be found and the cub was too young to survive on her own, they moved forward to lure the bear to safety.  A culvert trap on a trailer bed was used. “Usually bears have a sweet tooth, so we tried drawing her in with glazed donuts. However, this cub showed no interest in ...

Post by Craig Newberry, Communications  Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo We are welcoming the newest member of pudu family, a tiny male fawn. Pudus are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America.  The fawn, which has yet to be named, was born May 5 to parents Ted and Maggie. The birth is the pudus' third offspring together since they were paired under the Pudu Species Survival Plan , a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. The fawn's father, Ted, is nearly 6 years old and arrived at the zoo in 2017. The mother, Maggie, 5, came in 2018. Their first offspring, Chile, was born in 2020 and now lives at the Queens Zoo in New York. The second offspring born last year, Ande, remains at Woodland Park Zoo. “The fawn and mother are healthy and bonding well. We’re confident their bonding will continue as the fawn gets more comfortable exploring his habitat,” sa...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications New kid on the block! Mountain goat Atlin cuddles up to her newborn daughter, born July 16. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo A new mountain goat kid is leaping on the ledges of Woodland Park Zoo’s Northern Trail habitat. The kid, a girl, was born July 16 and is the second offspring for mom Atlin and dad Zeus. The mountain goat born at the zoo last year— part of the 2020 baby boom—was their first baby, Luna . The new kid—which hasn't been named yet—weighed in at 9.4 pounds during a neonatal exam performed by the zoo’s animal health staff. “She appears to be healthy. Her body condition is good and she’s getting sufficient nutrition and hydration. Her mobility indicates a healthy energy level,” said Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo. The female kid weighed in at 9.4 pounds at birth. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo “Within minutes of being born, young goats are on their feet and are capable of climbing...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Hello sweetness! We're thrilled to welcome the newest member of our western lowland gorilla family. After an eight to nine month pregnancy , 24-year-old Nadiri gave birth at 10:25 a.m. on January 29, 2021! The newborn is the second baby for Nadiri, and the first between her and dad, 21-year-old Kwame.  Watch footage of the new baby:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m8MpNh0y4k&feature=youtu.be Shortly after birth, zoo gorilla and veterinary staff had to step in and place the baby under round-the-clock care in the gorilla building because Nadiri had not picked up her baby to nurse or keep her warm enough the first day. Staff are nourishing the baby by bottle feeding her human infant formula, keeping her warm and providing her with short visits with her mother; the baby is doing well. The first 72 hours of life are the most critical for a newborn gorilla. “We will continue to prov...

Posted by Meghan Sawyer, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Oh baby! Add two more precious newborns to the list of recent Woodland Park Zoo offspring—a healthy set of red panda twins was just born! The twins were born May 25 to mom Hazel and dad Yukiko. Twins Ila and Zeya were the last pair of red pandas born in 2018. We have seen a number of adorable animals born and hatched recently, including gorilla Kitoko born in March, penguin chicks and scaly-sided mergansers hatched, agouti pups born in April, a pudu fawn and mountain goat both born in May, and wallaroo and wallaby joeys that are just now venturing outside of their moms’ pouches! A very tiny, newborn red panda cub is examined during an initial health check up with the veterinary team. The red panda twins are the first born at the zoo since 2018, when Hazel and Yukiko gave birth to a set of female twins which were the first red pandas born at the zoo in nearly three decades. Wi...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We are teeming with new babies this spring! The newest members of the family are a male pudu fawn and a female mountain goat kid. The new babies join the burgeoning population of other babies born or hatched at the zoo since March including a gorilla, a pair of agoutis, a couple of penguins, two scaly-sided mergansers, and a wallaby and wallaroo. Pudu fawn peeking out from the spring grass. Pudus are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America. The new pudu fawn was born May 14 to first-time parents Maggie and Ted. The last pudu birth at the zoo was 10 years ago. “The new mom is providing good maternal care to her fawn. We’re pleased he’s nursing and mom and fawn are bonding,” says Mark Myers, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “We’ll continue to monitor the new family closely.” The pudus live in the zoo’s Temperate Forest habitat. The pudu parents ...