Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Dr. Deborah B. Jensen, President and CEO WPZ President Jensen. Photo by Matt Hagen. Because of your support and the generosity of nearly 16,000 individuals, I’m thrilled to share the news that we exceeded our $80 million More Wonder More Wild campaign goal by raising more than $83.5 million! If this isn't enough to celebrate, in 2013 we also set an all-time record for zoo visitor attendance! During the eight-year campaign, our community experienced the deepest recession since the Great Depression. But world events continued to illustrate the urgent need to save our planet’s wildlife and habitats, to create a future in which animals and people can co-exist and thrive together. So, with passion and commitment, we continued to tell our story. Our animals continued to provide the wonder and joy that we all experience when we visit the zoo. And you continued to show your generous support! This member-submitted photo iconically conveys the wonder and wild donor

Posted by: Deborah B. Jensen, President and CEO Elephants have long played a role in the community and in our hearts. At Woodland Park Zoo, we have cared for elephants since we received our first one in 1921, funded in part by donations from local school children.  Asian elephant Chai at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. I am pleased to announce that the zoo will commit $1.5 to $3 million to strengthen the Asian elephant program at the zoo, as well as play a key role in multiple elephant conservation arenas. This pledge follows a six-month, critical and thorough external review of the zoo’s elephant program by the Elephant Task Force —a panel of local community representatives and internationally-distinguished scientists and animal care professionals—and a review of the Task Force’s report by the zoo’s Board of Directors and staff. The new strategic direction of the zoo’s elephant program endorses many of the options given to the zoo by the

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Here mountains grasp at the clouds, waterways flow across the distance, forests burst from the earth, and shrub-steppe stretches beyond the horizon. The Pacific Northwest has a global reputation for its scenic beauty and relative wildness. We connect with nature all around us. Those connections run deep, as our everyday choices have an impact: the way we store our garbage could mean life or death for bears, and the way we tend to our gardens can help or harm native pollinators. Grizzlies at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo; modified.  On March 19, join us for our annual Thrive breakfast , co-chaired by Maryanne Tagney and Margie Wetherald at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, to learn how your Woodland Park Zoo is working with communities, researchers and conservationists through the Living Northwest conservation program to study, prese

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Photos: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo The Seahawks 12s are getting wilder than ever. Today penguins, Asian small-clawed otters, wolves, river otters, meerkats and lemurs joined the roster. Together we’re cheering on the Hawks as they advance to the NFC Championship. As they keep winning, you keep saving—take $3 off zoo admission when you sport your Seahawks gear through their run for the Super Bowl. When zookeeper Celine Pardo tossed a bucket full o’ footballs to the Humboldt penguins, we learned how penguins rush—let’s call it Beak Mode. Cortez the penguin took it to the next level, waving his flag for all the 12s out there. The Asian small-clawed otters huddled to come up with their next play. The other team will never see this gnawesome play coming. Every team needs a dependable kicker. If you want a wolf to keep possession, douse the ball with pineapple extract, anise extract and a spritz of musky cologne

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Commnunications Save $3 on zoo admission when sporting Seahawks gear beginning Jan. 11 through the run for the Super Bowl! As the Seattle Seahawks hit the field for the NFC divisional playoff, Woodland Park Zoo is #TappedIn and will offer an admission discount to fans showing their Blue Pride. Beginning Saturday, January 11, visitors wearing garb or paraphernalia such as a jersey, sweatshirt, hat or beads will receive $3 off zoo admission every day as long as the Seahawks stay alive in the run for the Super Bowl. The admission discount applies only to the child or adult wearing the Seahawks sportswear and is not to be combined with other discounts or promotions. Gather round, 12th man, and catch the broadcast of the Seahawks vs. Saints game in the zoo’s Rain Forest Food Pavilion on January 11. The zoo closes at 4:00 p.m. daily but fans will be allowed to remain in the restaurant until the end of the game that day. (Photo: OK, OK, technically thi

Posted by: Kate Neville, Corporate and Foundation Gifts Officer Photos by Kate Neville/Woodland Park Zoo I slouch lower in the boat and pull my hat further down over my face. It’s hot. The relentless tropical sun sends rivers of sweat down my neck…and we still have several hours to go before reaching our destination. This boat ride is the last leg of a two-day journey from Lae to the village of Ronji, a remote community in Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Province. My traveling companions are Woodland Park Zoo's  Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program Director Dr. Lisa Dabek, and TKCP staff members Benjamin Sipa, Karau Kuna and Mikal Nolan. We’re traveling to the coastal village of Ronji to participate in a ceremony celebrating the community’s new bridge and field office. TKCP helped construct the bridge and office at the community’s request, thanks to support from Conservation International, the German Development Bank and Woodland Park Zoo. I glance back to the stern, where the captain