Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications …49…50! Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. With two late-in-the-season Humboldt penguin hatchings, Woodland Park Zoo has hit a new milestone— 50 chicks hatched since 2010, the first breeding season in our new penguin exhibit. Over the last six breeding seasons at the zoo, penguin chicks have typically hatched between April and May. While the two chicks are latecomers, they are genetically valuable to the North America population. They are the first offspring for 3-year-old father Maximiliano and numbers 11 and 12 for 8-year-old Dora. Video: Tiny penguin chicks mark 50th hatching at Woodland Park Zoo. The chicks are off exhibit in nesting burrows where they are under the care of the parents. To ensure the chicks are achieving growth milestones, staff weighs them as they develop. Staff minimizes intervention to allow the parents to raise their chicks and gain parental experience. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications All the way from Wisconsin, a very special delivery has turned into a very special new addition—Woodland Park Zoo’s first hooded crane chick. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Our hooded crane pair has been producing infertile eggs over the past several seasons. When we learned a fertile egg was available to foster from the International Crane Foundation, we worked together along with a Denver Zoo Curator and Species Survival Plan coordinator to give our pair the chance to rear a chick here at Woodland Park Zoo. Packed in a little cooler, the egg flew to Seattle and upon landing at the airport was welcomed with a special sign we drew up. Photo by Erin Sullivan/Woodland Park Zoo. We brought the egg back to the zoo and candled it to assure it was still viable. Candling is the process of holding an egg up to a high powered, focused light source for a few seconds to see if an egg is fertile or to check the health of a d

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor A baby porcupine is known as a porcupette. It’s the cutest vocabulary word you’re likely to use today, as we’re confident you’ll be sharing this little face with everyone you know: Photo by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. Born last Friday, May 15, this North American porcupine baby, whose sex is not yet known, weighed just over a pound at birth. It’s now pushing about 1.5 pounds (700 grams). Photo by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. We thought of a few other things that weigh 1.5 pounds, but 175 packets of sugar, or four and a half bananas, or a small pineapple don’t stand up to this cuteness—though the pineapple may give it a run for prickliness. The resemblance is uncanny. (left) A porcupine baby at Woodland Park Zoo in 2013, photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. (right) Growing pineapples, photo by Roman Lashkin via flickr Creative Commons . About that prickliness. We get

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Have you noticed the shaved patches of fur on the lion cubs? This cub has a distinct shaved patch on his hip. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. These patches help us tell the three brothers apart at a quick glance. And now that the brothers have names— thanks to your votes and an assist from dad Xerxes —we want to give you the inside scoop on which cub is which! You can see the right shoulder shaved mark on the cub on the far left, and the hip shaved mark on the cub on the far right. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. You voted for Tandie  (meaning “fire”) as your favorite name for the cubs, and keepers decided to give it to the cub whose right shoulder is shaved. This cub is the spitfire of the three, making him a perfect Tandie! The name Gandia (meaning “clever”) was given to the cub who has shown the most independence and curiosity. He is easy to spot by the shaved mark on his  hip . Finally, the biggest cub was dubb

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 Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Three weeks ago on November 7, our pair of great argus welcomed a healthy chick. The baby bird tipped the scales at 48 grams, just a little heavier than a golf ball, and has steadily gained weight since. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. To increase the chick’s chance of survival, keepers are hand rearing it behind the scenes in the comforts of a warm, secure den. Soft, feathery items—like the feather duster pictured below—are added to the den to comfort the young pheasant and to familiarize it with the feeling of family. A feather duster is used to provide comfort to the hand-raised chick. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. The argus chick is a symbol of hope for this vulnerable species native to Southeast Asia. As part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), Woodland Park Zoo’s successful argus breeding program helps ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population that’s genetic

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Photos by: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo At just about two weeks old, a typical day for our triplet lion cubs includes filling their bellies with mom’s milk and figuring out how to get their limbs to cooperate with their will to explore. The boys have doubled their birth weight, now weighing between 6.7 and 7.9 pounds. Looks like we’ve got one milk hog in the litter, but don’t worry—all are within a healthy weight range. To make it easier for keepers to tell the cubs apart at a quick glance, each boy has been shaved in a unique spot. When they are all squirming around mom, wrestling for a cuddle or a spot to nurse, sometimes a quick glance is all you get! Video: Lion Triplets Grooming Mom Adia and the cubs are spending quality time together in a behind-the-scenes nursing den where they can have quiet and minimal disturbance. Keepers watch them via an internal video monitor to keep an eye on the family. So far, we only h

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor The lion cubs, seen here at three days old, are doing well behind the scenes with mom Adia. Watch them wrestle and roll around as they position themselves for nursing in this new video: Video: Baby Lion Cub Sweetness In case you missed it, find the first photos and video of the cubs  in the birth announcement from last week. We'll continue to provide updates on the three boys from behind the scenes. It'll be some time before we see the family out on exhibit. For now, they need to focus on nursing, bonding with mom, developing their motor skills and getting big and strong!

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, communications  What is sweeter than a brand new downy-white flamingo chick? How about three! A keeper gently holds one of the new chicks. Photo by Ryan Hawk/WPZ. The tiny chicks hatched one after another on August 31, September 5 and the last one just a few days ago, September 16. Peeking into the incubator where the chicks stay cozy. Photo by Ryan Hawk/WPZ. The chicks are being hand raised and hand-fed by a team of dedicated staff, ensuring a higher chance of survival. Several times daily, the chicks are fed a mixture of whole egg powder, a little corn oil, a calcium supplement, vitamin E and water, known as a chick “slurry!” When the little chicks are old enough to eat on their own, in about 30 days, they will join the adult colony in the flamingo exhibit. The flamingo keepers also must exercise the chicks.  The flamingo chicks practice swimming in the baby pool  chick tub. Video by Ryan Hawk/WPZ. Leading an exercise session fo

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor As giraffe calf Misawa nears his first birthday, coming up on August 6, we look back at a year of firsts for our not-so-little guy. The first look  Misawa at one day old. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Everyone remembers the first photo we shared of Seattle’s tallest baby—the infamous “grumpy” look on his face turned Misawa into a viral sensation. But in truth, the very first look at Misawa we got was in the incredible footage of his birth! Mom Olivia gave birth to the 6-foot-tall giraffe on August 6 at 7:03 p.m. The labor lasted about 1.5 hours and the video shows little Misawa finding his feet and standing for the first time just 1.5 hours after he was born! Video: Tallest baby in Seattle.  The first day outside  The first few days were spent nursing and bonding with mom inside the Giraffe Barn, but it wasn’t long before Misawa ventured into the outdoor area of the barn. Mom Olivia and Aunt Tufani were never too far fro