Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Paula MacKay, Living Northwest Conservation Photos by Paula MacKay As a child growing up in Boston, most of my wildlife sightings comprised gray squirrels and American robins—maybe the occasional urban raccoon. But on Sunday nights, a silver-haired zoologist named Marlin Perkins came into my family’s living room and transported me to a much bigger world of animals, where close encounters with species I’d never even heard of ignited my imagination and helped seed my future in carnivore conservation. That little girl in yellow feet pajamas, who sat mesmerized watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom while her animal-loving mom knit mittens and hats, could never have dreamed that one day she’d be featured on the program. And the wildlife she’d be studying? Wolverines! Photo by Mutual of Omaha Fast forward five decades, and I found myself on a flight to Billings, Montana, where my husband (WPZ’s Dr. Robert Long) and I were to be filmed for a future episode of the show’s new itera...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s two river otter pups, a male and female, have aced their swimming lessons and have graduated to the outdoor pool and habitat. Guests will have the opportunity to watch the yet-to-be named pups twirling, rolling, somersaulting, dog paddling and just being otterly fun! While otters are highly skilled swimmers, moms need to teach their pups how to swim, just like humans do! For the last couple of weeks, mama Valkyrie has been giving her 2-month-old pups swimming lessons in a kiddie pool located in the off-view den. What do lessons entail for otters? Valkyrie picks up each pup by the scruff of their neck and dunks them in and out, much like dunking donuts in milk, but here it’s dunkin’ otters! In the outdoor pool, visitors may see Valkyrie still teaching the pups as she immerses them under water and brings them up for air. But please be patient. For the next several weeks, a regula...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren  Pups should make for an ottersome summer! Valkyrie and Ziggy on Living Northwest Trail It’s otter happiness at Woodland Park Zoo for the birth of two North American river otters! The pups were born March 29 and are the second litter for mom Valkyrie and dad Ziggy, both 9 years old. The last birth of the species at the zoo was in 2019.  During a neonatal check-up, the zoo’s animal health team have confirmed the pups to be a female and a male. The teeny pups currently weigh 10 ounces each—about the weight of five fun-size Snickers bars! The gestation period for river otters is 68 to 72 days. Pups are born blind and are completely helpless, relying solely on mom for care during the first year. They open their eyes at about a month old. Stay tuned for fun updates at www.zoo.org/zoobabies . One of the pups during a neonate health check. Photo by Pat Owen, Woodland Park Zoo. Valkyrie and the newborn otters are...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications An image of a coyote is captured on a motion sensor remote camera through the Seattle Urban Carnivore Project. Photo courtesy of Seattle Urban Carnivore Project / Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle University A healthy ecosystem is one in which plants and animals interact in a dynamic balance. They work together in a way that creates a sustainable and interconnected support structure for the whole environment. All different kinds of creatures, ranging from bees to bobcats, have an important role to play. But some of them—and the behaviors they exhibit—can be misunderstood or even feared.  WHAT IS A CARNIVORE? Most people think the word “carnivore” refers to any animal that eats meat as a primary component of its diet. This is accurate, but the word “carnivore" can also refer to specific mammals that are classified in the order Carnivora . This scientific grouping is not based on diet, but is instead related to a way of classify...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jason Martin/Woodland Park Zoo In mid-May, I ditched my day job for the woods. I went to the Olympic National Forest to see what it’s like to shadow a crew of carnivore conservationists. We hiked around to check on remote cameras that were stationed in the forest since this same time last year—and we’d be the first to see what (if anything) this footage revealed. Camera traps allow researchers to determine the presence of rare species and sometimes reveal how we can better support their recovery. This is what it’s like to accompany a team of conservationists up a very steep mountain in search of a very elusive creature. After winding along the dirt road that skirts Lake Cushman—a jewel-colored swath of blue nestled into this morning’s foggy Olympic mountains—my husband Jason and I meet our hiking companions at the base of Mt. Rose. In the gravel Forest Service parking lot, we unload our packs and greet Robert Long, Betsy Howell...

Editor’s note: Morgan Jensen is a high school senior at Bear Creek High School in Redmond, Washington. Morgan completed his graduating Capstone project as a community affairs intern at Woodland Park Zoo. Next month, he is heading to South Carolina, where he'll begin college at The Citadel. Morgan spots carnivores often in his backyard in east King County, and thinks it's pretty cool. Posted by Morgan Jensen, Community Affairs Intern The City of Issaquah and Woodland Park Zoo have something in common: each provide an opportunity to see many great animals up close. Surrounded on three sides by forested mountains and Lake Sammamish to the north, the Issaquah area is also home to abundant wildlife, including some of Washington’s most charismatic carnivores: black bears, coyotes, bobcats, and cougars. While sharing space with these animals has potential to lead to conflict, residents can take many actions to ensure a peaceful coexistence with carnivores. This is where the...