Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Mother’s Day gives us a reason to celebrate all the fierce, snugly, protective, patient, kind, encouraging, creative, amazing, smart and inspiring mamas out there. “Mom” can mean many things—whether the title refers to sharing 50% of our DNA or to being an incredible, strong role model in our life—we are grateful for all moms, mothers, mamas, mums, mommies, mas and mumsies! When it comes to motherhood, the matriarchs of the animal kingdom will do whatever it takes to protect their young. With a ferocious love for their family, these mamas go the extra mile to keep their family safe and provide enough food to help them thrive. While most human moms don’t resort to teeth or claws to protect their kids (although we don’t recommend you test them), they do share some essential traits with these outstanding animal moms. Here are a few of our favorite mommy moments caught by our zoo photographers. Home is where mom is.   The comf

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Our 4-month-old female gorilla has a name of her own. Through a public naming contest, nearly 3,500 names were submitted and the baby gorilla caretakers have selected the winning name: Yola (rhymes with Lola). Meet Yola. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Yola, which means “firefly” in the African language Hausa was chosen because the new gorilla has been a spark that has catalyzed and solidified the bonds within her mom’s group. Hear more from zookeeper Stephanie Payne-Jacobs on why they selected this name: Video: And our baby gorilla's new name is... We are grateful to all of you who submitted name suggestions, and many thanks to our gorilla fans who have followed the story of our new western lowland gorilla. She has sparked a fire in all of our hearts to fight for a future for this critically endangered species. Every time you visit the zoo, you support our conservation efforts in Africa and beyond. Show

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor With an older brother named Eagle , it is only fitting that this year's first penguin chick—the 51st hatched at the zoo since 2010—would carry on the family tradition with a Northwest raptor-inspired name. This week we asked our Facebook fans to cast their vote for their favorite name: Falcon, Hawk or Merlin. With 70% of the vote, the clear winner is Merlin, so named for the small falcon species. The parents, 8-year-old Dora and 3-year-old Maximiliano, are providing care for the new chick and their other new hatchling who has not yet been named. If you've ever spotted the holes along the cliffs of the penguin exhibit, those are entries into nesting burrows where the parents rear their chicks. Note the holes in the background: these are the entries into the penguin burrows. Inside the burrows, the penguin couple tend to their young. Staff weighs the chick regularly to ensure it is achieving growth milestones, and it

Posted by: Stephanie Payne-Jacobs, Zookeeper Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. While the experience of providing hands-on care for a baby gorilla is unique and rewarding, it’s with mixed emotions that keepers and Animal Health staff have taken on this responsibility. The ultimate goal of our current long hours and intense focus is to see the baby integrated into her true gorilla family. Until then, raising Nadiri’s baby in close proximity to her family reminds us that our biggest priority is to raise her as a gorilla, and to instill in her an understanding that she is indeed one of the amazing gorillas that she sees, smells and hears throughout the day. In this update, I’d like to provide a glimpse into the progress we are making toward that goal in our work behind the scenes. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Over the three months since giving birth, Nadiri continues to develop a relationship with her baby, which evolves as the baby goe

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Video and photo by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Nadiri and her baby are getting to know each other and learning new things about each other day by day.  Here is video of our girl exploring new tactile sensations and trying out a few luscious leaves. Keeper Traci Colwell gives us a quick update on the newborn’s progress. Video of the baby gorilla exploring new tactile sensations andtasting a tiny leaf.  The baby gorilla receives attentive care by keeper and veterinary staff in a den behind the scenes of the gorilla exhibit, where Nadiri can see her baby and her baby can see her mom throughout the day, every day. “For the long-term benefits and welfare of the baby gorilla, it’s important for her to know she’s a gorilla, not a human. She never leaves the gorilla den. Here, she is exposed to her mom and can also see, hear and smell the zoo’s other gorillas,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “It’s also a st

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor In the first video of our baby gorilla, the now 6-week-old little girl gets a quick veterinary check up from Woodland Park Zoo Director of Animal Health, Dr. Darin Collins. WATCH:  Video: Baby gorilla gets a veterinary check up. She's looking great, doing well, and with a healthy appetite, she now weighs in at 7 pounds. As she grows, her little leg muscles are starting to develop and that means baby has now hit another milestone: she's starting to crawl! She can only cover short distances, but with the way she now holds her head steady and is starting to really take in her surroundings, she'll be an explorer soon. The infant continues to receive round-the-clock care from zookeepers. Several times a day the keepers provide opportunities for first-time mom Nadiri and her baby to interact. During these patient introductions, Nadiri is given the choice to be with her baby and the introductions have remained positive. In the c

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications UPDATE | Dec. 30, 2015 Sad news: At just over one week old, our baby sloth bear passed away overnight. The baby had been under mom’s care in a private maternity den. This is the second cub to pass from Kushali’s December 19 litter—the first cub was not viable and did not survive past the first 48 hours. Though we hoped for a happier outcome for the second cub, and its first days were encouraging, the cub passed during the night as mom slept. It is not uncommon for first-time sloth bear mothers to lose their litter. Sloth bears are born tiny and blind, and the first few days are always critical. Kushali was an attentive mom and will have other opportunities to breed in the future.  It’s hard to lose a gift as beautiful as new life especially for a species at risk, and we want to thank you all for your support.  ORIGINAL POST | Dec. 28, 2015 We’re excited to share some wonderful news; our young female sloth bear, Kushali, gave birth to

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo At almost a month old! Introductions between first-time mother Nadiri and her new baby are moving along at a slow pace, but a step in the right direction is good news, no matter how tiny those steps may be. The baby western lowland gorilla , a female, was born November 20 to 19-year-old Nadiri. After giving birth naturally, Nadiri did not pick up her baby. Staff immediately stepped in for the safety and welfare of the baby and to allow the new mom to rest. Because Nadiri does not have experience with motherhood, the zoo prepared for different outcomes while Nadiri was pregnant, including human intervention. Zoo gorilla and veterinary staff are providing 24/7 care for the baby gorilla behind the scenes in the gorillas’ sleeping quarters in a den next to Nadiri. The mom and the other two members in her group can see the baby, and the baby is immersed in the sights, s

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo We have a little update on our gorilla Nadiri and her newborn baby. Attempts to introduce the first-time mother gorilla to her new baby continue every day. For now, the plan for the next three months will be to keep on providing hands-on care for the female gorilla infant before evaluating next steps. The baby western lowland gorilla was born November 20 to 19-year-old Nadiri. After giving birth naturally, Nadiri did not pick up her baby and, instead, walked away. Staff immediately stepped in for the safety and welfare of the baby and to allow the new mom to rest. Because Nadiri does not have experience with motherhood, the zoo prepared for different eventualities while Nadiri was pregnant, including human intervention. Zoo gorilla and veterinary staff are providing 24/7 care for the baby gorilla behind the scenes in the gorillas’ sleeping quarters in a den next to Nadi

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Baby girl, cozy and in the care of her attentive keepers. As you may have heard, a female baby gorilla was born on Friday, November 20, to first time mom, Nadiri. First, let us thank you all for your congratulatory notes and kind words for keepers and staff. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support for this special new girl who has stolen our hearts. The baby is thriving. Under special care of keepers and veterinary staff, the western lowland gorilla is receiving round-the-clock care and is currently off public view. She is being bottle-fed human infant formula. Just so sleepy after her birth journey. Although Nadiri gave birth naturally , without intervention by staff, she did not show appropriate maternal behaviors. After giving birth, she walked away to the other side of the den and staff had to step in for the safety and welfare of the baby and to let the new mom rest. Because Nadiri was partially hand-raised and do