Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Soooo cute! The Woodland Park Zoo family just got cuter with the arrival of a tiny male pudu fawn. Pudu are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America.  Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The fawn, which has yet to be named, was born May 2 to parents Ted and Maggie. The birth is the pudus' fifth 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 8 years old and arrived at the zoo in 2017. The mother, Maggie, 7, came in 2018. The pair of pudu are now parents to four males and one female. All three of their previous male fawns were sent to accredited zoos across the country based on breeding recommendations created by the SSP. The female, born last year, still lives at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Megan Blandford/Wo...

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 Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We’re so excited to announce the latest additions to our zoo family—the birth of three red ruffed lemur babies on March 29. This is the first lemur birth at Woodland Park Zoo in 16 years. These three bouncing babies were born March 29th to first-time red ruffed lemur mom, Sally. The triplets were born to first-time mom Sally who will turn 5 this summer. There are two adult males in Sally’s group—brothers Orion and Lucien who will be 14 years old next month. We don’t yet know which one is the father of the babies, but that’s not unusual in lemur groups. A genetic test may be done later to learn that. We have not been able to determine the sexes of the babies yet, but quick neonatal exams have confirmed the triplets are thriving; the zoo’s animal health team will continue to perform exams to closely monitor their weight gains. Currently, they range in weight from 6.7 to 7.8 oz., which is within the ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Western lowland gorilla Uzumma is nearing the end of her pregnancy. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We're excited to announce that the birth watch for our pregnant western lowland gorilla, Uzumma, has started. The gestation period for gorillas is eight to nine months , similar to humans, and the due date for our mom-to-be is between March 8 and March 20. During the overnight birth watch, zoo volunteers will be able to watch Uzumma from cameras in her behind-the-scenes bedroom. They'll also be able to collect data and look for any telltale signs of labor—and a gorilla keeper is on call each night to respond if that happens.  Uzumma sits and watches as Kwame, the soon-to-be-born baby's father, walks past. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo This birth will be the first for 12-year-old Uzumma. The expectant father is 20-year-old Kwame, who came to Woodland Park Zoo in 2018 from Smithsonian’s Nat...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications For the first time in nearly three decades, we are celebrating the birth of red pandas: twin cubs born on June 19 to 2-year-old mom Hazel and 13-year-old dad Yukiko. The twins are the first offspring for Hazel while Yukiko has had offspring before he arrived at Woodland Park Zoo four years ago. Video: Red panda twins receive a quick health check from veterinary staff: https://youtu.be/XRlEBfQth9s The cubs are both girls, weighing in at 5 ounces each, confirmed during a neonatal exam. The zoo veterinary team says the twins are appropriate weights — a good indicator they are healthy and nursing. "We will continue to perform health check-ups periodically, particularly during the first several weeks, for weight monitoring, vaccinations, and critical blood and fecal sampling,” says Dr. Darin Collins. Both Hazel and Yukiko have been living off-view indoor and outdoors. Hazel gave birth in an indoor, climate-controlled den where sh...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Seattle’s tallest baby is now Seattle’s tallest 1 year old giraffe! Happy birthday Lulu! We love you! Sometimes you CAN have your cake and eat it too! Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo The birthday girl and her animal keepers celebrated the occasion with a specially-made giraffe cake: an ice fruit cake adorned with an assortment of her favorite treats, leaves, and leaf eater biscuits with her name carved out of apple slices and the centerpiece #1 carved out of sweet potato. Delicious and nutritious! A cake fit for a giraffe. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo.  Dad Dave, mom Tufani and aunt Olivia were all there to “help” her eat her cake! In September, Lulu will be old enough to move to a new zoo where she could eventually start her own family. Her future home will be Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska. This move is part of a recommendation made by the Giraffe Species Survival Plan, a conservati...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications As you all have been patiently waiting, we’d like to give you a little update on our newest arrival. It’s a girl! Hello, beautiful! Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo.  A beautiful, 5’9”, 149 lbs. bundle of joy. She is already bonding with mom and curious about all of the keepers and animal health staff who have been visiting her barn. The sweet new calf is dry, meaning her soft fur is now clean and dry from the birth.  Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo. After a 4:03 a.m. birth on June 20, 2017 , our sweet mama Tufani began nursing her baby in the late afternoon. Nursing is a huge milestone for any new mother, but especially for Tufani who is a first time mom. Nursing is incredibly important for the health of the baby, and another sign that mom and baby are bonding.  In other good news, the calf received good scores on her first neonatal exam with our dedicated animal he...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Tufani: Enjoys sweet grain snacks, has mastered the art of drooling and sports beautiful dark brown spots. Looking for love and another biscuit. Dave: Willing to stick his neck out for love. Cupid: Spotted the pair on the savanna. When it comes to cupid’s arrow hitting the mark, it appears that in at least one instance, the arrow stuck. Giraffes Dave and Tufani are expecting! Looking good, Dave! Photo by Dennis Dow, WPZ. Tufani (left) with her nephew Misawa in 2013. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, WPZ. This Valentine's-worthy news comes as keepers prepare for a long, long wait. Giraffe have one of the longest gestation periods for mammals: 14.5 to 15 months. While it is impossible to be 100% sure that Tufani is pregnant (without putting in a tall order for an ultrasound), keepers tell us that all the right signs are pointing to a new addition to the savanna sometime this summer. That is your cue to get excited. H...

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...